The LionSnake Prophecy’s
by Raiining
Summary: Anonymous Accusations, secrets, & doubts - these are the things that Ginny Weasley faces. Can she overcome them? Who will help her, or more importantly, who trusts her? ... (... Post-OotP)
1. Prologue

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter . I merely worship JKR!**

_Okay… Rain here (December 2004). I've edited this chapter a bit. I'm going to be going through the chapter's consecutively and re-editing them. Then I'll start writing the next one. I know, I know ... it's been forever. Thank Comet Moon, he emailed and reminded me that since I have some time, I should continue this story!_

_Ginny's POV on post-book five; lots of plot and heavy into storyline, but of course I can't resist my HG shipping . RH too, but I'm keeping all other characters open. I try to do lots of research into the books but honesty still get lots wrong .. simple things like spelling names that I'm convinced I've finally got right!!! Please **read & review** to note errors and comment on the writing/story/etc. etc. Check out my favorite authors/stories collection for two or three years worth of HP and Buffy fan fiction! If you like Buffy, check out my other story - Something Green._

_Light love laughter!_

_Rain_

**Prologue**

Snakes and Dust

There was so much dust. So much dirt - grim - to be cleaned away. Washed, like the world, stripped of its muggle filth until that sparkling shine could be seen once again.

The eyes glanced around the dust-filled chamber, the green-brown vision a testament to the struggle waging within. Snakes and dust. Snakes and death. Just dust, for now, but soon … soon there would be death and the school would be cleansed, left sparkling with a pure-blood magical sheen equal to the Chamber floor.

Day after day the decrepit chamber was cleaned, and day after day the battle slowly began to turn towards Green's hateful favour. Brown tried to resist, to fight, to defend - but was steadily loosing ground. Every time it found the wash cloth grasped firmly in its hand and could not remember a day without this battle, this floor, another piece of it died. Slowly, steadily, Brown was loosing sight of its former life, while Green steadily remembered its own.

Finally, when the silver floor was once again ready to house the magnificent creature hidden here by ancestors terrible and great - Green threw all of its spirit into the fight. Wrestling control of the throat and vocal cords, Green managed to shape air and sound into a parody of speech. The strange, hiss-like words were now familiar to Brown, but the power contained within _these_ words was not. So much more than "open", these words carried a feeling of a power so old and awful, they caught Brown by surprise. Using this shock to its advantage, Green collected its command like an angry whistle draws dogs, and hurled it into the room.

The creature answered ... snakes and death … and Brown froze in horror. Visceral fear consumed it; a fear so terrible it could swallow whole Brown's fighting spirit. The creature Green's command had released was ancient and awful, and hungry with hatred at being forgotten for too many years. Sensing its first victim, the giant snake slithered towards Brown - it's tongue tasting the air and finding ripe flesh, it's eyes twinkling with dark malice.

Brown tried to move from those terrible eyes, knowing instinctively that to look upon them would be death, but Green laughed and held the body they shared still, knowing that with brown's final decent would come the freedom it so long had desired.

But then, in that moment before death, the silent thing that had been waiting - for twelve long years now, and of course, so much longer than that - finally saw its chance. The resistance that had long suppressed it, constant though unconscious, was finally gone as Brown's entire being focused on refusing Green's final command. Breaking itself free of the boundaries placed so long ago upon it, that ancient power erupted with the full force of its fury. With a roar it leapt free as the creature's eyes turned towards Brown's fighting own. Meeting the snake at midpoint, it roared with terrible glee as it met again in this final battle - cat versus snake, mammal versus reptile, order versus chaos …

But it had risen from its hiding space prematurely. This was not the final battle it had so long anticipated. This was a mere mortal it faced, and the body was not yet ready. It halted the basilisk's death-bringing eyes, but did nothing else as it returned, chastened, into hiding. Now was not yet time...

But Green's awful plan was thwarted. It howling in angry despair, knowing this avenue to freedom was now denied. Brown, still reeling from events it did not understand, had little left with to resist as Green used it's anger to wrestle control of the lips again, ordering the creature into the castle to do what damage and death it could. Green would have revenge for this thwarted escape.

And Brown found itself lost even deeper in the dark despair that clawed at it, as the creature swept off to murder and the strange power fled from sight and sense. It fell to the chamber floor; and as it fell, the green eyes turned hatefully towards it, except that they were no longer green - but red - and full of hateful joy at discovering one last, hidden secret that fool Dumbledore stubbornly thought he could hide …

… and Ginny Weasley woke to shocking reality as the walls of St. Munglo's wobbled into view as memories and nightmares real and imagined faded from sight. Shaking arms took her, and a family rejoiced that their daughter had finally awakened from her ordeal at the Department of Mysteries. They cried together, relieved to have won this latest battle against the ever-enroaching enemy.

While - not to far away - Lord Voldemort raised his red-fire eyes to the castle ceiling and crowed.


	2. 1 Of Snakes and Spells

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

Chapter One

The sun was warm and the green grass cool. Ginny Weasley lay stretched out under the great oak tree that grew behind the Burrow, nestled securely into the small paddock where the Weasley children used to play Quidditch. They were older and had all but moved on by now - Ginny herself was the youngest, and almost fifteen at that - but the paddock had always been, and would always be, a favourite hiding place of hers. The only place better was the Chamber of Secrets, because no one would ever enter but her. Yet Ginny still had nightmares of the terrible battle she faced daily in that place, her brown eyes and soul struggling against Tom's crushing, green-eyed spirit. The nightmares could be so real, Ginny would often wake unsure of who or where she was, and she would dread opening her eyes to find the Chamber ceiling staring back at her as it had so many times before. Because of these dreams, Ginny seldom visited the Chamber when at school. No, this place – this paddock -was definitely her favourite hideaway and today, like most other summer days, Ginny had crept towards her comfy place under the oak tree after completing her minimum number of chores. Her afternoon's schedule consisted of a healthy dose of 'doing nothing', coupled with the brilliant feeling only home could bring.

Her plan would have been succeeding too, had not Hiss spent the entire morning complaining.

"How can you ssstand sssuch heat?" he groused, for what seemed the tenth time that morning, "could we not find a more ssshaded ssspot? And to be ssso completely exposssed ..." beady eyes surveyed the grove as his long tongue flickered nervously in and out of his lipless mouth.

Unwilling to open her eyes and completely ruin the moment, Ginny tried to throw a handful of leaves in the general direction of the slippery voice but a short _hiss _silkily informed her the shot had gone wide. Sticking out her tongue instead, Ginny merely replied, "Professor Dumbledore installed the house-wards personally and I, for one, have complete confidence in my headmaster's ability."

She could hear Hiss slither a moment in the grass, and knew her friend had maneuvered himself around the great oak. The movement was so slow and cautious that Ginny would have bet a hundred galleons no one else would be able to detect it.

That was, she would have bet if she had _had _a hundred galleons, which of course she didn't. The Weasley family, though pure-bloods, had never been wealthy. A brat like Malfoy might have money to melt, but Ginny would have had plenty of other uses for a hundred galleons other than betting on some stupid, self-suffering snake.

"I am neither ssstupid nor ssself-sssuffering," Hiss replied to her unspoken thought with a particular rumble of indignity, "I am sssimply commenting that sssuch locationsss are not sssafe."

Ginny grumbled in annoyance and turned onto her stomach, allowing the cool green grasses to tickle at her nose.

"How do you always do that? Know exactly what I'm thinking?"

Hiss gave the snake's equivalent to a chuckle, a sort of low _hiss_ coupled with quick in-and-out tongue lashings one could barley detect unless waiting for them.

"You are not a difficult one to read, little sssnake," his voice called out to her from behind the oak tree, and Ginny grimaced at the annoying nickname. "One barely hasss to sssenssse your emtionsss, ssso dissstinct isss your sssmell."

"Yeah, well, stop sniffing in my direction. You're ruining the mood."

Hiss slithered out from behind the trunk, giving Ginny a fresh glimpse of her reptilian friend. At first glance he seemed a normal Gardner snake, dark green and easily hidden in the tall summer grass, but on closer inspection she could see the slightly iridescent glimmer to his smooth underbelly, and his silver-green eyes were too intelligent for any normal snake.

Hiss flashed a vision of his bright pink-red tongue, an obvious movement that highlighted his species-driven desire to deny orders. "And what mood isss that, little sssnake?"

Ginny ignored the absurd nickname, making a show of closing her eyes and flopping once more onto her back. Snuggling down into the warm earth, she sighed in comfort before replying, "You know what I mean. It's my last day of freedom - hell, yours too."

"And what particular insssurance do you posssesss that I will do asss I am told?"

Ginny cracked one eye open and gave him a _don't-you-dare_ expression, "Approach Harry Potter and you'll be putting both our futures at risk."

Hiss circled around her petite form, settling himself comfortably on her midsection. Closing his own eyes, he said, "I do not ssshare your apprassial of the sssituation. I recssieved quite a good sssnif off the boy two sssummersss passst, and he sssmelled trussstworthy."

Ginny sighed, reluctant to have to explain. "It's not him that I don't trust … well, maybe it is. He's such a blind idiot sometimes, though I know better than most how well he can keep a secret. It's more the fact that anything he learns he tells Ron and Hermione, and those two I can't depend on; Hermione because she's got too much heart and Ron because he's just an arse. Before he even knew what he was doing he'd have spilt the whole story to half the wizarding world - how many times I have found out what was _really_ going on just by sitting next to him at dinner? My darling brother couldn't keep something quiet if he was _Imperious­_-ed too."

Hiss seemed to consider this for a moment, and then said, "You are probably correct. Ssstill, it would be niccce to finally meet the boy . I have heard ssso much about him over the yearsss."

Ginny closed her eyes again and grinned, "To the best of my knowledge Harry has only used his parseltongue once, and that was in a life-or-death situation. I doubt very much he'd like a reminder as to that particular ability."

"You do not mind reminding."

"I don't have quite the same scars he does."

"But you do have ssscarss, little sssnake."

"Yes, but my burdens are not the same."

"I do not underssstand thessse burdensss. One doesss what one hasss to do, correct?"

Ginny sighed, "But it's not always that easy. Harry doesn't know what he has to do, he doesn't know about the prophecy, and even if he did - he would try and reject its truth. Its hard to force someone to do something they don't want to do, though our little jaunt into the Department of Mysteries might have convinced him to start killing," she ended bitterly.

Hiss caressed her neck with his tail, a comforting snake gesture. After a time he said, "The way of humansss isss ssstrange to me."

"And just think, you've spent the last - what, four? - years studying us."

"I have spent them studying _you_, and you are not as they are."

"I'm exactly as they are."

"But you can ssspeak out language."

"The only gift Tom ever gave me."

"You ssspeak again of hisss name, but it wasss not he who taught you thisss. No human can _learn_ our tongue. It mussst be born."

Ginny's voice turned cold. "Hiss; you have absolutely no idea what he did to me. You can not imagine how close he was, how deep inside my mind. Harry has the same ability from him, and that was inflicted by a killing curse. Tom and I were linked in ways he and Harry never were. What he knew, I knew. Parseltongue is just one of his too many stolen thoughts."

Hiss was again silent. Ginny knew he wouldn't believe her, that he was incapable of understanding what she meant, but that was fine with her. She just wanted the subject dropped.

For a moment, the green fog appeared in her mind once more, and Ginny could see the myriad of interests that had appealed to young Tom Riddle. The basic formula's for invincibility, immortality; curses that could be performed - legally and il- - to gather whatever one wished from an encounter: pain, pleasure. They made Ginny sick to the stomach, but they were there, forever scarred in her mind, as was parseltongue.

It hadn't taken long for her younger self to realize the ability was there to stay. Hiss himself had been the first snake since the basilisk to talk to her, and the basilisk hadn't exactly talked; only kind of mumbled on about killing people. Ginny had immediately decided to keep her garnered ability a secret and spoke of it only in the secluded safeness of this paddock. Here, for the past four years, Ginny had learned the secret world of the snakes, their true abilities and passions, so often different from the twisted basilisk. She understood now why the wizarding world thought the parseltongued a threat - there was much knowledge here to be gained.

Ginny also understood that from the snakes had Tom learned most of his immortality-seeking secrets; snakes had always been masters of transformation and wisdom. Half the formulas in her head were in parseltongue, along with scraps of other bits of information he had doubtlessly pursued over the years.

Except for the one about a prophecy - a prophecy she understood only because she knew was Voldemort truly was. It was an ancient tale, one of death and rebirth, the telling of two great spirits who would fight for the domination of the world. Of course Harry didn't want the world, but the ancient's must have seen it that way, because the two it so often spoke of had to mean Harry and Voldemort.

They would be of different suns, but equal in power. Different heritages, but equal in strength. One would represent the forces of chaos, and the other those of order. On the day to decide all days would they battle, and no one could predict who would win.

Ginny had stumbled upon the link two years ago, while exploring late one night in bed the memories Tom had forced upon her. Curious, she had questioned Hiss upon it the next day, and had received the full extent of the tale. It was known to all snakes, as it had once been to all humans in ancient times.

When Ginny learned that Voldemort had lured Harry to the Department of Mysteries in order to discover a prophecy about the two of them, she realized the Tom had never followed that link to conclusion, and was relieved when the glass ball containing condemning words had shattered. She did not want to impose that burden on Harry, who had lost his godfather in that fight, and she was relieved that Voldemort had not yet learnt of it. Ginny had debated sending word of her knowledge to Dumbledore, but had wisely regarded the skies as unsafe. Even when the Professor had been at the Burrow earlier in the summer to install the wards, had she decided to wait until school to tell him, wishing to spare Harry at least a few more months of ignorance. He'd have to learn, one day, of his destiny, so he could fully prepare for the match, but she wanted him to have one last summer as just any other boy.

Well, any other boy who was already the Boy Who Lived. Ginny sighed, she wouldn't change places with Harry for all the magic in Baghdad.

Noticing the light around her growing low, Ginny opened her eyes to see Hiss staring at her, his forked tongue slowly tasting the air.

"I apologize, little sssnake," he said quietly, "I did not mean to cassst you ssso far away with my thoughtsss."

Ginny smiled tenderly at her closest friend, "You didn't Hiss, they're just … thoughts I'll have to contend with some day, anyway. Come on, let's head back to the Burrow. I bet mum's got a bang-up lunch on the table."

Hiss flicked his tongue once in-and-out in acceptance, and carefully slithered down her midsection and over her thigh, tucking himself under her pant leg and settling on her right calf. Ginny felt him tighten himself securely into place as she rose carefully from the tree, glancing once more at the sun to see it had slipped off another inch towards the west, sloping down towards the tree line as the late morning warmed over to early afternoon.

Half a day left until Harry arrived. Ginny sighed to herself and resolved to make it memorable, for the rest of the summer would surely be.

_That's all for now . will probably have next chapter out after or during Reading week!_

_**Bells:** thanks for the offer .. will totally take you up on that if you've got the time . do you? And yeah, the grammar is supposed to be like that . I hope this chapter explained a bit more. More will be revealed as the plot runs on, of course, but your right, I don't want to leave my readers in the complete dark!_

_Remember: read and REVIEW!!_

_(pretty, pretty please? I'll give you a cookie ...) _


	3. 2 Prophecy's and Lies

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

_Hey all!_

_**Comet Moon:** thanks for the complements! Keep reading around HP .. there are some great stories out there … v. cool to hear you and **jcd1013 **are keeping up to date on my writing!! This story: the Lion-Snake Prophecies: is a re-write of the Lion-Snake and Lightening Child Prophecies (I think **bells** asked about that too J). There were a few reasons for rewriting it …one I thought the title was of the last one was too long and didn't introduce my story well, plus I had started writing that one with a pretty heavy hand, with Ginny a little too angsty for my taste. All the events that I was writing about there, though, are being redone in this story, so take this one for the truth. The story is essentially the same, though I have upped the tempo, so I'm giving the reader a bit of an earlier clue as to what is going on and ushering the plot along a bit faster. I'm hoping this story will rise better than the last – and I hope you three will tell me if it starts to fall! Hoping for more reviews this time around too .. I mainly stopped the earlier edition because it seemed like not enough people were reading it._

_To **Lady of the Library**, hope you got my reply-email …and hoped too that I answered some of your questions and that you'll start reading the story … (to the rest of you .. haha! I wont tell what I revealed but keep reading and you'll see soon enough!!)_

_Light love laughter_

_Enjoy!_

_rain_

Chapter One

Harry showed up later that afternoon on broomstick with Moody and Mundungus Fletcher playing guard duty. Ginny had been helping her mum set the table when they arrived, and found herself scowling angrily at the clock when they had. The time was right, only five in the afternoon, which meant Moody had pushed the group three hours ahead of schedule. Attempting to look inconspicuous, Ginny reached down to her right pant leg and gave her calf a tiny scratch. Hopefully Hiss would get the message and keep quiet. Ginny had planned to return him to the garden after her chores, but now she just hoped to be able to get him out of ear-shot of Harry before he said anything stupid. Too used to whispering along when no one could hear him, Hiss had a rather bad habit of speaking out of mind.

Ginny had spent the morning relaxing in the backyard, playing in the garden and making mud-cakes with Hiss. She had even made him a tower out of sand, crafting small tunnels for him to crawl through. When she came back from snatching a drink from the kitchen, a tiny scrawl beside the moat had read:_ when snakes rule the world_, which she assumed Hiss had written with his tail. Ginny had laughed before scrubbing it out quickly … that would be the day.

Around five o'clock Ron and Hermione had come home. They'd spent the day in the nearby muggle town at the opening of a new bookstore. Usually Ron would have argued against spending their holidays looking through books, but Hermione had been so excited about the prospect that he had gone to Tonks himself and arranged an escort.

Ginny had been in the garden when they'd walked back up the long road towards the Burrow, Tonks in disguise as an elderly grandfather behind them. Ron was helping Hermione up the short steps, and Ginny had paused in her castle-building adventures to quickly examine her friend. The slightly pale cheeks and lightly out-of-breath huffs were the only lingering testaments to the terror of the past two weeks. A shudder passed quickly through her as Ginny remembered when the letter had arrived. She had been doing dishes in the kitchen when the official-looking screech owl had dropped the envelope into mum's surprised hands. The dinner plate mum'd been drying had smashed to ground, and Ginny had stared at her mother in horror when the instant tears began to flow. The family had rushed in at the crash – the twins had been visiting that night and had been outside bashing tables together in the garden – and mum had shakily informed them that Hermione was in critical condition at St. Munglo's and was not expected to live through the night.

Chaos had erupted. The twins started yelling and handing out fistfuls of floo powder; Dad had rushed over to mum had enfolded her in a hug, while Ron had just stood there, statue-still, looking lost. No one cared about the dinner plate.

Ginny hadn't even realized she'd started crying, but when she pulled her youngest brother into a hug, his shirt had come away wet with tears. Ron wouldn't even look at her, but merely took George's offered floo powder and started towards the fireplace. Once there, he'd stepped into it as usual and the family made room for him to go first. But then he'd stopped, as if unable to unwilling to say the destination out loud. So Ginny had gotten in with him, clasped her arms around her brother's waist, dropped both their fist-fulls of floo powder and loudly declared, "St. Munglo's critical ward!" with a voice so shaking, she'd hoped she hadn't gotten the address wrong.

A mediwitch had shown them to Hermione's room. It was laced off with curtains and already full of flowers. Hermione's parents had been sitting beside the bed, their faces empty of emotion, as if they had already been pushed so far beyond thought they had no tears left to fall, no fears left to express. Each held one hand of the deathly-pale Hermione, her bushy hair flat and limp against the pillow. The mediwitch explained in a sotto voice that the family had been visiting in Spain when Hermione had suffered a sudden relapse. She had been cured of the deatheater's curse she'd been hit by in the Department of Mysteries earlier that summer, but apparently she suffered from an extremely rare magical disease, one that hasn't been seen in thousand's of years. The treatment they'd given her had merely delayed the effect of the curse, which had erupted in full force while the family vacationed in Spain. It had taken hours for anyone to understand what was happening to her, and by the time her condition had been discovered, it had almost been too late. Once the curse itself had been effectively lifted, the staff was doing everything they could to help her body heal, but no one could predict whether or not she would recover.

Ron still hadn't said a word by the time the mediwitch had finished. Ginny watched her brother fearfully as the rest of the family found seats outside, not wishing to crowd the small room. Ginny could hear her mother crying from outside the door, and knew the twins would be busy informing the rest of the family.

Hermione's dad looked up as the mediwitch finished. His expression was torn, his only daughter's life hanging on the magic of these witches and wizards whose world he didn't understand. He saw Ron though, staring at Hermione with a stricken expression, and wordlessly made room for him at the bedside. Ginny made her way to the other side, where Hermione's mum sat still, once again crying softly, and the mediwitch had conjured them all chairs.

Ginny remembered touching her friend's hand – it was cold as ice, and awfully blue. Ron rose for a moment to re-tuck the numerous blankets that covered Hermione's still form.

"She hates to be cold," he mumbled quietly, sitting back down at her side.

For some reason, Hermione's mum burst into loud tears at this simple statement, and Ginny reached over to her, taking her open hand and squeezing it tightly. Mr. Granger shed silent tears across the vigil floor, and Ginny could see that he was holding onto Ron's shoulders as a dying man might cling to the life-raft thrown by a neighboring ship.

Their own parents entered after a while, mum fussing, teary-eyed, over Hermione's hair.

"I've always wanted to cut it," she explained in an odd tone, at once wistful and sobbing, "She had such pretty hair …" and of course Mrs. Granger cried even louder at that, and though it might have seemed to no one else present that either had moved, both women were suddenly locked in a tight, teary embrace, weeping together as only a mother can, while their child lay dying.

Harry had arrived shortly after, while the Grangers were exhaustedly accepting a quick dinner from the Weasley twins – which they had had the foresight to arrange. Ginny had barely looked up as he walked in the room, and merely had a quick glance at a tear-lined, guilt-stricken face, before Ron was out of his chair and locked with Harry in a shaking embrace. Harry had tried to comfort him, but it was as if once the flood gates had been released, nothing short of dehydration could stop them.

Harry had patted Ron's back as he cried, while Ginny, her own tears streaming down her face, squeezed Hermione's limp, lifeless hand.

Throughout the night the two families – as well as Harry and Tonks, who had accompanied him – held a vigil around Hermione's bed, each taking a turn holding her hand and whispering encouraging words. The twins declared themselves in charge of refreshments, and kept up a steady stream of tea, coffee, and snacks for the entire night.

Various other people came and went; Dumbledore had arrived soon after Harry, as had several members of the Hogwarts staff. The Granger's heard words of praise from all of them during the hours to come, each professor praising Hermione and the enthusiasm towards learning she had always shown. Professor Flitwick repeated to all who would listen the marvelous technique she had demonstrated on the first day of charms; while Professor Sprout shakingly confessed several times how sure she had been that Hermione would have become the finest headmistress Hogwarts would ever know.

Med-witches and wizards kept up a steady stream during the night, coming in to replace her cold blankets with newly heated ones, and explaining how the warming charm lasted longer with fresh replacements. Various potions were administered intravenously all night, some to repair the internal damage of the curse and others to help her body regain its ability to manufacture blood. While Hermione's temperature, shakily at first and steadily then after, rose back towards normal, the hospital staff continually explained that the real danger all along had been brain damage, and the question was if they had successfully started treatment before her cognitive functions had been irreversibly damaged. They wouldn't have any answers, they repeated, until she woke up.

If she woke up.

The phrase was unspoken but it was thought, time and time again, but all who were present. Ginny had watched as, steadily, Harry's expression of despair had deepened, and Ron's expression died a little more for every hour that passed. She remembered how hard Harry had taken Sirius's death, and knew he felt responsible for Hermione's condition as well.

Ginny herself wasn't sure whether or not to blame him, and knew the thought itself said grief was making her illogical. Harry hadn't asked any of them to accompany him on his fool-hearty rescue of Sirius; but it was just so much easier to blame him for Hermione's current condition, though it had been the deatheater, and not Harry, who had uttered the curse.

Ron reminded his friend of this several times during the night, as did Neville and Luna, who appeared later as well.

From early evening to midmorning did the company commandeer the hallway outside of Hermione's room. Aguishly did they await any possible sign that their friend, their daughter, would awake. In all their minds was the memory of Hermione, the brightest girl any had ever known, and each was personally questioning how, if she ever awoke, she would be able to live knowing what might be lost.

It was then to all's immediate relief when, at precisely 8:45 in the morning, Hermione's eyelids had fluttered open and to the suddenly silent room had she whispered, "Is it herbology or charms first this morning?"

Ginny could easily remember the flutter in the room; how both mothers had immediately started crying tears of flowing joy and relief, how Harry had jumped up from his seat and was grinning from ear-to-ear and how the twins gave loud shouts surely everyone in the hospital could hear: "She's awake!"

Almost instantly, med witches and wizards had appeared, each carrying a different coloured potion, all with relieved smiles that betrayed how they too, had been caught up in the desperate survival of the brightest witch in many a year.

Ginny had watched it all, tears running down her cheeks, and therefore was the only one to see how it was Ron who was the first to react, a smile taking over his face as he had leaned down towards Hermione's questioning face and lovingly teased, "Its potions, silly, and you forgot to do the assignment."

He'd laughed at the picture of horror that appeared on her still-pale face, before bending back down to the bed and kissing her tenderly upon the lips.

Hermione's shocked expression had melted into a loving tableau of pleasure, and then the exhaustion of her body had overtaken her, and she slipped into a normal sleep, a smile still hovering over her now lightly pink lips.

That had been two weeks ago now, and though she still leaned a little too heavily on Ron's offered arm, Hermione was well on her way to recovery. Ginny knew – from a little unobtrusive eavesdropping in the kitchen – that one of the reason's Harry was being allowed to come so early this year was the hope that his presence could further speed her recovery. Dumbledore had sounded anxious for Hermione to be well as soon as possible, and mum had promised to look after the girl as her own.

The Granger's had come to visit several times, each time walking away from the Burrow a little more impressed with the wizarding world. Dumbledore himself had explained to them how much safer Hermione would be within the wards of the Burrow, and how Mrs. Weasley would ensure that Hermione drank the proper number and distribution of potions every day.

There had actually been a debate over whether or not to tell Hermione that Harry was coming, but it had been decided that the surprise – pleasant as it may be – might harm rather than help her recovery.

Ron had been the one to tell her, and Ginny had seen the flashing look of sadness that had crossed her brother's face as Hermione's had lit up in joy. Was it possible that her brother was jealous of Harry? Ginny knew the two had never spoken of their shared kiss, indeed, she wasn't even sure if Hermione had remembered it. Personally, Ginny didn't think that Harry was at all interested in Hermione that way – though that could have been personal bias talking – and she doubted Hermione felt that way about anyone except Ron, but then more surprising things had happened.

But when Harry had arrived, both Ron and Hermione had come running as quickly as they were able, and both wore identical looks of relief that he had made it to the Burrow safely. If there was an Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere thing going on, Ginny couldn't see it.

While the three friends made a quick re-acquaintance, Ginny finished setting the table and quickly looked around for some place to hide. She was desperate to find enough time out of earshot of Harry to have a quick moment with Hiss, before he said anything stupid. Something along the lines of, _Hey look, Ginny, its Harry Potter, now go over and explain to him why you haven't told him you're a Parselmouth for the past, oh you know, _four_ years._

Finally she saw an opening; mum had come into the kitchen from the backyard and had quickly rushed over to give Harry a welcoming hug. Behind her the swinging door to the garden was left open, and watching the reunion from the corner of her eye, Ginny made a dash towards it.

She had almost made it too, except at that moment Tonks made a surprise attempt to include her in the festivities, and just before Ginny had escaped the older girl came over and put a restraining arm about her thin shoulders.

"Now come on, come on, I know your excited to see Harry too," she bounced happily, hurrying Ginny over to the small crowd, announcing, "Look who I found trying to sneak away!"

Ginny grimaced and did her best not to blush. Mum gave her a smile, as did Hermione and Ron glanced in her general direction. Harry looked up from his place in the middle of the rough circle of friends and family to make eye contact with her for a second, his features hardening into barely concealed anger as he did so, before quickly turning back to his friends. At his reaction to her presence, something sad and painful stabbed her in the spine, and Ginny actually had to think for a moment before realizing it was a piece of her own shattered heart, jumping back up one more time to bite her in the ass.

Ginny stood there as long as she could. The twins arrived a moment later and immediately started trying to pass around free candies to the group, every member of which declined. They turned then to Harry, but he shook his head immediately and touched Ron on the back of his shoulder. Ginny watched, with prickling palms of anger, as Ron then turned and looked for Hermione. Catching her eye, Ron nodded to the stairs. Hermione gave a slight nod of acceptance, and soon thereafter excused herself from Ginny's mum. The three made their careful way up the stairs, leaving Ginny to help mum with supper.

Mum didn't seem to mind that she only had one pair of hands now instead of six, since the twins had disappeared as well. Quickly and efficiently, she distributed the necessary chores, content to let Ginny complete the job alone.

She did so, angrily smashing the forks and knives atop the table as hard as she could. Ginny knew it was childish of her, but she didn't care. As soon as she was finished, Ginny pushed her way out of the kitchen, stomping down the familiar trail to her paddock.

After everything they'd been through last year, they were back to this. The Golden Trio versus the rest of the world, with no room for anyone else to join them.

Hadn't she helped out at the Department of Mysteries? In Dumbledore's Army? Hadn't she shown herself worthy of their trust? Apparently not.

Hiss tightened himself on her calf, and Ginny knew he could smell her anger. She didn't worry about frightening him, Hiss had seen her in worse rages then this before, but she hoped that now at least he'd understand her reluctance to confide in any of those three. They couldn't trust her? Well she couldn't trust them!

Ginny sighed, slumping down onto the late-afternoon grass. She couldn't lie to herself; she was too self-honest for that. She had completely and utterly expected to be ignored; it was just what those three did, how they saw the rest of the world. What was really bothering her was that now Voldemort was definitely back and it not only was it Harry who was ultimately going to have to fight him, but she had been protecting him from that destiny by keeping the prophecy a secret.

It didn't matter that Harry didn't know what she was doing; Ginny still felt somehow betrayed by his utter and complete dismissal of her presence. Not that she was about to run off and tell Dumbledore about the prophecy, she wasn't petty enough for that, but Harry would obviously never even believe her if she told him about it. Dumbledore was the only one he'd listen to, now that Sirius was gone, and it was better for him to explain it to Harry anyways.

Silently, in her mind, Ginny recited the words that Hiss had spoken to her so many years ago now. They were simple and to the point, but for some reason always blazed brightly in her mind:

_two of mind but one of heart_

_from different families shall they start_

_but know it now that none shall rule_

_until the day on which they duel_

_when thunder cracks and fog horns sound_

_when death is burning on the ground_

_when tides of freedom ring out true_

_know that the end is brought to you_

_on flaming fire and surfing waves_

_with breathless air and endless caves_

_will serpents rise and lions fight_

_now dawn against the darkest night_

_pray not for one or each but all_

_for in this battle one shall fall_

_and neither can the world support_

_whoever wins this last rapport_

Ginny finished the last line and sighed. There was no doubt in her mind that the words referred to Harry in a last, desperate fight against Voldemort. The lightening, the serpents … she didn't know if Harry would actually be able to stop Tom, but she knew without a doubt that he would try. However much she might have against him, Harry did have heart – and a lot of heart at that. Ginny herself could help send him into battle hating him for not loving her as she had loved him, or she could support him, and Ron, and Hermione, even though they wouldn't support her, simply because they were her friends, and she needed them.

And that, in the end, would be what she would fight for.

Standing up, Ginny brushed the grass from her jeans and gave Hiss a soothing pat. She wasn't surprised that her friend had chosen to wait until she had calmed down to speak with her, but as it was he was going to have to wait some more. Dinner would be ready soon, and Ginny didn't fancy her mum having to call her in like a child caught sulking. Speaking softly to her friend, Ginny promised Hiss that she would speak to him later. Shaking a leaf from her bright red hair, Ginny made her way back to the Burrow. It would – it appeared – be business as usual, and she had better start getting used to it.

_Review review review! Feeeed the button. You know you want too!_

_For the re-reader's among you: not much changed in this chapter. A few phrases here and there. On the whole I was rather proud of it, but I'd much rather hear what you have to say … to review!!!!_


	4. 3 Confusion and Conflict

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

_Hey all! _

_I really want to reply to some reviews, but my internet is down so I have to go post this chapter via my roommates computer and will therefore not get the chance to answer any of your questions or anything until the next chapter (by which time my computer will hopefully be fixed!). I do remember getting a few new reviews though – excuse me a minute … _Eeek!!!!! Yea!!!!_ … okay, all better now – and am looking forward to what people think of my latest installment._

_Light love laughter,_

_Rain_

Chapter Three

Ginny spent the next hour and a half helping her mum to prepare dinner in the Burrow's kitchen. There were potatoes to be sliced and carrots to be shredded and Ginny found herself wishing long-fully for the day when she turned seventeen and would be allowed to practice magic outside of school. As it was, the fifteen-year old witch was forced to do everything the muggle way, which was advantageous at the beginning when the cold press of steel was a good distraction from her thoughts, but was definitely irritating an hour later when the hard feelings had been buried and hunger itself surfaced.

At the loud rumbling of her daughter's stomach, Molly Weasley laughed and called the twins, as well as Harry, Hermione and Ron, down to the kitchen. Mr. Weasley left his place at the soup pot to rope in both Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks, who had disappeared nearly forty minutes ago to check out the new reinforcements. Finishing off the last of her carrot slicing, Ginny grinned a few minutes later to hear the genuine relief in Moody's voice as he declared to her father, both out of sight in the garden, that the new addition had proved themselves "satisfactory". By the light chuckle that was surely Tonks, Ginny knew he had – as usual – understated the powerful magics that now constantly encircled her home.

It was all for Harry's sake, of course, but Ginny took enough relief in the added protection that it might all have been built personally for her.

But at that moment who interrupted her thoughts but the devil himself, as Harry, Ron and Hermione poked their heads around the stairwell, the twins bouncing down behind them.

"Hey Gin-Gin!" George called as he and Fred hopped across the kitchen and over to the outside garden. Ginny grinned to see that her brothers really _were_ bouncing – on one foot each and about three inches high. George winked at her as he turned into the garden, and Fred called out as an array of laughter erupted from the back lawn, "Bouncing baby foot lotion! It's a hit in Hogsmeade!"

Ginny laughed and shook her head, about to turn her attention back to the potatoes she was just finishing when a heavy foot on the stair reminded her that Ron was also on his way down. Ginny turned around from the sink, expecting to see her brother, as a new mischievous smile appeared on the edge of her lips as she anticipated the gleeful look in his eye now that supper was finally about to be served. Watching Ron get excited about a meal was nearly as much enjoyment as actually eating it. But as she turned to watch him, Ginny found herself staring at Harry instead, and was nearly knocked off her feet by the hostility in that green-edged gaze.

Harry, staring at _her_? What, did she have potato flecks in her hair? Was her hand nearly dismembered by the peeler and she stupidly hadn't realized it yet?

But no, Harry wasn't just staring at her; he was _glaring_ at her – a deep-set glare of anger without confusion, hostility without regret. Ginny fish-mouthed wildly, what on earth had she done?

But then a grip tightened around her lower calf as Hiss reacted to her sudden change in emotion, and Ginny felt as if her ankle were about to pop off. Forced to break the fierce eye contact, Ginny momentarily closed her eyes and sent a soothing message to Hiss; hoping he wouldn't do anything rash. When she opened her eyes, Ginny turned her head to look at her brother. Ron was standing a little behind Harry, arms crossed against his chest, and Ginny remembered how hostile Harry had been to Ron and Hermione last year, frustrated at being – as he felt it – left out of the loop. But now Ron wasn't the target of his rage; she was. Ginny stared at her youngest brother; surely he would protect her if Harry suddenly got violent? Which at this moment he looked about to. Ron's face, too, was hard-set in anger, but thankfully it seemed to be directed at Harry, and not at herself. Still, Ron wouldn't meet her eyes, and a moment later he turned and literally stalked out of the kitchen, red hair and freckles shimmering.

Hermione actually glanced once, quickly, in Ginny's general direction, the expression on her face one of calculated interest and abrupt embarrassment for something, either Harry's demanding look or Ron's angry departure, Ginny couldn't decide. Hermione too, however, quickly turned on her heal and dashed after Ron, and craning her neck a little, Ginny could see her talking quietly to Ron just outside of the kitchen, hopefully calming him down.

Upset now herself, Ginny turned back to Harry, still staring at her as if Voldemort himself was watching him with her eyes. A prickle of anger began to grow from Ginny's lower spine – how dare he! It wasn't as if she had done anything, and even if she had, it wouldn't have been on purpose. He had no right to challenge her in her own house, because that's what Ginny suddenly realized it was – a challenge. Well, bloody hell, a challenge she could meet! Ginny angrily set her jaw, clenched her fists and drew herself to her full – though still not very intimidating – height. She met Harry's icy anger with a sudden intensity that would have frightened her, if she had paid it half a mind. As it was, Harry seemed the one surprised by it, and when his gaze dropped a little at her sudden reply to his own statement, Ginny purposely turned her back on her brother's best friend and methodically began placing each peeled potato carefully in the boiling pot on the stove.

Finally, after several tense moments, Ginny felt the hard eyes leave her back and heard the measured footsteps as Harry left the kitchen. Mum, humming quietly to herself on the other side of the kitchen, hadn't appeared to notice anything out of the ordinary.

But it _was_ out of the ordinary! With Harry finally gone, Ginny allowed herself a deep, choking breath and almost collapsed over the sink, her fingers loosening around a potato, brown eyes watching helplessly as it spun in circles around the sink, unable to call even the will to pick it back up again. She felt drained – empty. Exhausted. It was a good thing she hadn't been using magic, because Ginny would have had no way to control it right now. She was shaking, and her mind danced over the last few – had it only been moments? – as she carefully drew in a breath.

What the hell had just happened?

Sure she had always wanted Harry to notice her, he had a bad habit of simply walking by and nodding to her as one would an old family pet, without, of course, the customary scratch behind the ears. For years before she had met him had Ginny entertained herself with a secret crush – silly, as young girls are want to be – for she had never even met the man. But he had seemed so close to her, and Ginny had spent endless nights wondering how they would fall in love.

Of course, things hadn't proceeded nearly as romantically as she had dreamed; they hadn't ever been romantic at all. During her first year at school she had been terrified of actually meeting him, and then she had to go and get herself roped in with the entire Tom situation and had been dealing with that – and not Harry – ever since.

She had actually resigned herself to the fact that he would never even be more than marginally aware of her existence. She had planned to eventually, when he was older, tell Professor Dumbledore about the prophecy, and remain completely out of the whole affair. She had no desire to be famous, and absolutely none to be associated in any way with one Harry James Potter, other than of course through Ron. Being honest to herself, Ginny knew that if he had ever even crooked his little finger, she would have come happily prancing to his side – but those dreams were long over.

And now, just when she was sure her life could never have become more complicated, Harry starts taking an interest in her – and a negative one at that! His behaviour earlier that afternoon became all too crystal-clear: Harry was furious at her, for some reason she could neither understand nor defend against. It couldn't be Hiss, Harry had never found out about her parseltongue abilities, and there was nothing else she could recall that would have driven him into this kind of fury.

Did he somehow blame her for Sirius's death? Impossible, she had been as eager to help as the rest of them, and had been unconscious throughout most of the really important battle anyways.

Ginny sighed into the sink, and with her muscles back under conscious control, reached down to pick up the now still potato. She rinsed it under cold water for a minute to drain away any extra dirt it may have somehow picked up. She finished slicing and moving the potatoes onto the stove, thinking to herself all the while.

There was no getting around it, she had to confront Harry and find out what exactly his problem was. This kind of behaviour couldn't go on – not only would mum or dad notice something soon, but Ginny might not be so able to control her own fury next time. It had been all too difficult to simply turn her back and ignore him; her body never had wanted to ignore Harry. It responded to his moods, and right now she wanted to fight. She didn't like the idea – not that she was afraid of him, or even unconfident in her ability to face him, Ginny had, after all, grown up with six older brothers – but she was hesitant to do it around Ron or Hermione. She wasn't sure if they would side with her or not, though Ron had looked pretty angry at Harry just a minute ago. But he was their best friend, and her only a little sister and annoying fifth-year. All her convictions about fighting in the world might tremble and fall if Ron and Hermione turned against her.

So it was settle then, they would have to meet sometime soon, away from prying eyes. The paddock was the first place that came to mind, and try as she might Ginny could not find a better location that still lay within the Burrow's new-found protection.

Ginny nodded to herself, automatically straightening her spine and shaking back her long red hair; tomorrow then, in the paddock. She wasn't sure how she would get him to agree with that, but she would sure as hell try.

The potatoes were soon finished, and mum bustled her off into the garden to sit with the rest of the family for supper. Dinner was assuredly a classic Weasley affair – the twins smiled at every bite they took from their mother's excellent cooking and a fair number of kind words were said about her part as well. They managed to get Ron once with a dash of Bouncing Baby foot lotion – apparently it also came in powder form, and it took ten minutes for Ron's feet to stop launching in the other direction whenever they touched something solid. Ron didn't look very happy about this, but he did lighten up considerably during dinner; even going so far as to ask Harry to pass the potatoes without too much hostility.

Hermione was pretty quiet during the meal, smiling a little during one or another of the stories being tossed around the table. That wasn't unusual though, the recovering young student had been very quiet at meals of late, and no one obviously thought much of it.

Ginny herself did her best to appear cheerful throughout the meal. Harry's hostility remained palpable, but it was apparently only it seemed so to her, for no one else once commented about it. He sat across from her at the table on the opposite side, and mostly Ginny simply refused to make eye contact with him, talking instead to George on her right and mum on her left.

She did see that Harry glanced a few times at Percy's empty place, but wisely he decided not to pursue his obvious questions, and the subject remained untouched.

It was over an hour later when the meal was finally complete. All involved were leaning back in their chairs, stuffed to the brimming, and Ginny had to fight to keep even one eye open.

Moody and Tonks looked pleased enough to burst by the full meal, and Dad seemed completely satisfied as he put down his fork and declared lovingly to his wife, "That was delicious, darling."

Mum blushed and smiled back at her husband, and Dad's eyes twinkled as he surveyed the tired table. "Now off to bed with all of you, you've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow!"

Only the twins seemed awake enough to ask him what he meant, but Dad's eyes only twinkled brighter and he smiled as he shook his head. Mum rose then and _tutted_ them all from the table, while Moody, Tonks and Dad of course stayed behind. It seemed the grown-up's had some matters to discuss.

Ginny didn't care; she was too tired and worn-out to even think about eavesdropping. Everyone else appeared to feel the same, for not even the twins elected to try and hang around, but headed back into the Burrow along with the rest of them.

Ginny deliberately hung back a little though, waiting until Harry, who had been the last to leave the table after Moody called him back for a quick word, stepped into the now darkened kitchen.

If he seemed surprised to find her waiting for him, it didn't show itself on his face. Instead he stopped, messy black hair more limp than healthy, green eyes watching wearily behind rimmed spectacles that shone only a little in the faint light.

Ginny didn't let the worn-out image of him distract her. Instead she leaned over and hissed into his ear, "Five o'clock tomorrow morning; the great oak just inside the paddock. You and me only – and don't be late."

And with that the youngest Weasley turned on her heel and headed up the stairs, her red hair bouncing behind her as the only son of the long dead Potters watched with unreadable eyes as she walked away.

_Okay … once again only minor punctuation changes. Tell me what you think!! Review review review!! Feeed the button …_


	5. 4 A letter and a threat

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

Chapter Four

That night, Ginny dreamed.

She dreamed she was standing on the edge of a bridge. It was the kind of wild, ancient swinging bridge she had seen once in a muggle movie; wooden planks held together by old, rotting string, extending across some gigantic chasm that stretched downward into the farthest reaches of the earth. Casting her eyes across the length of the bridge itself, Ginny saw that where it ended and green earth should have stood again, there was instead a roaring wall of fire, a burning inferno that promised only a very painful death.

Ginny waited for the terror, for the fear to rise up inside of her as it always had before. Ginny remembered, in the sudden way one does in dreams, that she had dreamt of this particular image before. Always in the past had her unconscious mind automatically rejected the image for what it was, the picture of a certain and agonizing death.

But this time, something had changed. The fire was no longer frightening, instead it triggered a new type of feeling in Ginny's heart … a sort of familiarity that she found at once strange and inspiring. Though she still feared the old, rotting bridge, the bottomless chasm and thus the journey itself, the destination now intrigued her. Curiously, Ginny found herself wondering what it would be like to reach the fire, to feel the hot flames licking across her skin …

But the question was, was she curious enough to risk the journey? Ginny cast her eyes doubtfully across the scenario before her, the fraying rope and cracked wood, and in her mind Ginny knew the answer to be _not quite ready yet_ …

… and then she was sitting up in bed, freezing though still under the covers, her hand already grasping for the wand that would protect her against whatever had awakened her.

Until Ginny realized where she was and that the use of her wand would probably get her expelled from school. Smiling, Ginny let her back fall once again among the pillows. The downy softness embraced her, and even as she began to wonder as to the meaning of the rotting bridge, the memory of the dream was leaving her, slipping upside-down and sideways through the cracks in her mind and leaving only the softness of her pillow and the secure feeling of the blanket about her shoulders. It was still dark outside, her mind sleepily reminded her, and she had plenty of time before mum called her downstairs for breakfast …

Ginny groaned; the memory of Harry surfacing harsh against the softness of her pillow. She had told him to meet her at the old paddock at five, and it wouldn't do for him to be waiting there for her. Ginny cracked one eye opened and scanned the room for her clock, the twin hands nestled peacefully together at precisely six-thirty a.m.

Ginny shot out of bed, already reaching for her clothes, when she belatedly realized there was a bright white note stuck to the bottom of her clock. Fearing the worst, Ginny walked slowly towards the message, only to read that it was from the Twins who, playing around with a new potion, had accidentally countered the charm on her clock and moved it two hours ahead. Ginny frowned, for that charm was linked to its owner and should have been nearly impossible to break, but the relief at not having missed her own appointment with Harry was too great to remain upset at the twins. There would definitely have to be some quality payback later however, though if she and Harry got this settled out now they would never know why she had been so upset in the first place.

Several ideas already forming in her mind, Ginny, quietly as she could, removed a pair of clean slacks, a t-shirt and a large jumper from her dresser. She knew from previous early mornings that it was always rather fresh around the Burrow, and especially in the paddock. From her dresser she took a hair elastic and quickly pulled her mass of red hair back into a ponytail. Reaching down into a little box beside her bed, Ginny took out a piece of left-over bacon, and tapped it lightly against Hiss's nose. He had taken to sleeping next to her in bed, claiming the soft fabric was more comfortable than his own burrow, and though at first Ginny was terrified of somebody finding out, no one bothered entering her room anymore. Mum usually called from downstairs, and long gone were the days when Ron would burst into her room and pounce on her bed. The thought would have saddened her, had she not had Hiss around to soften the blow.

The last nudge finally got his attention. Before even opening his eyes, Hiss tested the air with his tongue, and promptly shot awake at the tantalizing smell of left-over bacon. Taking the piece unceremoniously from her hand, Hiss blinked morning snake-eyes at her, but kept wisely silent.

Ginny smiled at him and gestured that, if he still wanted to come, he ought to crawl onto her leg. Not wasting his time, for surely he did not want to get left behind, Hiss quickly slithered down off the bed and slipped under Ginny's left pant leg. Once she was sure he was secured, Ginny carefully opened her door and slipped down the stairs.

She paused in the kitchen for a minute to take a bagel from the bread box and debated toasting on the stove, when the creak of a floorboard stopped her. Listening carefully, Ginny could hear someone moving on one of the upstairs landings. Bets were ten-to-one that it was Harry, which meant that if she wanted to be waiting for him, she had better hurry.

The air was cool and dark when she stepped outside, Hiss still tight against her leg. There was dew on the grass and only the barest hint of morning from the east. It would be light soon enough however, Ginny knew, though the stars still shone faintly overhead. Eating her bagel quickly, Ginny let her feet follow their familiar trail to the paddock, watching the woods around her for any sign of Moody or Tonks.

Everything was quiet, so she assumed the two Aurors were confident enough in Dumbledore's protection spells not to impose a morning walk-around. The paddock itself was never silent, birds chirped early morning hellos and all manner of creatures slithered and hopped through the tall meadow grasses, but those sights and sounds were now so familiar to the young witch that they barely even registered.

Setting up shop, Ginny made her way to the tall oak and rested her back against it, leaving her hands crossed casually across her middle, her eyes watching for any sign of Harry's arrival. A certain thrill of … well not quite excitement, but something nearer to finality rose within her. Ginny could not deny that she had been waiting for a chance to have it out with Harry; a chance to beat some sense into that boy-sized brain of his. It wasn't just the frustrated opinion's of a heart-sick young girl – though Ginny could not deny that had been her only a few short years ago – but the intense need to understand _why_ he leapt to the conclusions he did. Could he honestly say that – after tormenting himself endless about the possibility of being possessed by Voldemort – he had never, not even once, decided to ask the one person he knew who had already been through the experience?

Ginny could believe, if Harry were still the same young innocent he had been two summers ago, that he had indeed forgotten. That he had seen her for the past four years as merely Ron's little sister, and not some poor dupe who had been too silly and too stupid to defend herself against Voldemort. But that was no longer Harry; and perhaps, really, it never had been. Sometime between Sirius's vaulted escape from a corrupt Ministry and Voldemort's re-emergence into the world of the truly living, Harry had left all traces of innocence behind. He realized instead now the harsh realities of this world. Of course, that hadn't made him any smarter, any more cautious. He had rushed into the Department of Mysteries, yelled at his best friends, and ignored any piece of advice anyone had ever bestowed upon him. For once, Ginny found herself feeling sorry for Professor Snape. For years no one had believed him, but he had been right all along: Harry was a spoiled little boy. No spoiled like Malfoy, with money and jewels – for Ginny had overheard him telling Ron about what life was like, living with the Dursley's – but he was spoiled in the sense that every problem he had yet to face in the wizarding world he had solved. He had saved the Philosopher's Stone when the entire staff of Hogwarts couldn't protect it, had defeated Tom Riddle where she could not, saved Sirius from Azkaban where Dumbledore had been helpless to act, and won the Triwizard Tournament from wizards and witches older and more experienced than he. Really, when one thought about it, there was no mission or adventure that had proven more than he, Harry Potter, could handle. Until the Department of Mysteries disaster. Ginny still remembered the gleam in Hermione's voice, her eyes, as she had whispered to Ginny all of the adventures the three of them had undertaken each year. From Sirius himself had Ginny learned about the Golden Trio's third adventure. The same gleam had been in Sirius's eye, the pride that shone through whenever he described Harry.

That pride wasn't gone now, nor was it even diminished, but a slight fear had appeared behind it in Hermione's voice, and it had been present ever since Harry's blow up last summer at Headquarters. He was growing up, changing, and the rest of them weren't quite sure what to do about it. The DA had helped; it had released the strain a little, though Ginny knew that fighting real deatheaters and merely practicing against them were totally different things.

And now, finally, he was turning on her and Ginny – unlike the rest of them – was not afraid to let him have it. So he seemed all tough, did he? He could yell and scream all he liked, couldn't he? She'd show him.

And now she had the chance. Finally. Ginny waited, watching the dew-soaked grass as morning slowly came to Britain, for any sign of the black-haired boy.

Finally there was movement near the house. In the dim twilight she couldn't see if it was a man or a gnome, making its way stealthily towards the house. Ginny itched to let Hiss have a peak, his eye sight was much better than hers, but Harry was a Seeker – a good one at that – and would probably have seen the movement.

A few moments later though, the shape was moving carefully as if trying its best not to be seen or heard, and Ginny was sure it was Harry. It was just too big for a garden gnome and Dumbledore's spells would have kept anything else away.

She stayed where she was, though, back resting casually against the oak tree, her hands hidden between her arms, crossed against her chest. There was no reason for her to pretend she was concerned, for she truly wasn't in the least. Instead there burned that slightly eager feeling …

A pair of bright green eyes searched the paddock, and when they stopped to rest upon her own deep brown, they stopped. Harry still stood perhaps twenty feet away, but his eyes were locked onto her own, and his wand was in his right hand, pointed directly at her. His reflexes were so quick that Ginny hadn't even seen his arm move.

_Yeah right, _Ginny snorted to herself, _like the Boy-Who-Lived is going to give up his entire future just to cast a little hex at _me. Ginny waited for him to lower his wand, and when, after a few moments, neither of them had moved, Ginny slowly let her arms drop from her sides, and turned them palm-upwards to show them they were empty.

"I didn't bring my wand," she said amusedly, her voice carrying in the quiet of the morn, "just what do you think this is, Harry?"

He didn't answer at first, but when he did, his aim hadn't shifted, "I don't know, Ginny," he said, and his voice was cold with her name sounding more like a curse than a name, "what exactly _is_ this?"

Ginny smiled, but only to herself. She had already said that she wasn't afraid of him, and it still held true. Deliberately turning her back towards him, she turned and lowered herself comfortably onto the wet grass, feeling the slight dew creep up her back.

"Just a friendly conversation," she said, "to see what the hell your problem was and get it cleared up before someone – like my brother – realized something was wrong."

Harry still hadn't moved, but his voice was slightly less patronizing, "Ron already knows what this is about. He didn't believe me."

So _that_ had been why Ron was so upset before dinner. Ginny had wondered … "How … thoughtful … of him," Ginny said, trying to catch the sarcasm that had escaped in her voice, "He always seemed to think so highly of me."

Another moment of tense silence. Ginny waited for him to lower his wand, but after a minute gave up, "Oh come on already! What the bloody hell is the matter with you? What exactly am I supposed to have done?"

Harry paused. He seemed to be considering her, his eyes tried to bore into her soul, but he hadn't quite gotten the knack of it yet. He should have asked Tom for some pointers.

Finally he lowered the wand, but didn't put it away, as he stomped across the distance that separated them to stand only a few feet away. It was only then that Ginny realized he clutched a letter of some kind in his left hand. Extending it towards her with a disgusted noise he accused, "You say you have done nothing, so explain this to me then!"

Ginny rose from her seated position to take the sheet of paper from his hand. It was thick and rich, with a delicate weave and written with a neat hand. A wax seal had been broken on its top and bottom edges, and scanning the words with a slowly developing sense of dread, Ginny read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am sorry to have to write this in letter form. I wished to present this information to you personally, but the enemy has me constantly under surveillance and I fear this is the only way to warn you. I have sent this letter with my most trusted friend, and pray that you have received it swiftly._

_Harry, I must implore you not to trust Ginevra Weasley. New information has reached my ears that implicates her in the attack against Hermione Granger. It appears that Ginny was responsible for re-activating the curse set against her. I know you may not want to hear this information, and though it pains me I must ask you not to share it with anyone. I expect that Ginny is being – unwittingly, perhaps – influenced by the enemy. It appears that she never fully recovered from her episode in the Chamber of Secrets, and that her mind was left somehow opened to enemy's control. _

_I believe that He will order an attack against you this summer. I am going to send you to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer, Moody and Tonks will escort you, but I am doing this only to resist the chance of discovery. The enemy must not know that we have discovered his new secret weapon. I ask that you mention the contents of this letter to no one, especially Ginny's family, for her safety as well as your own._

_I will see you in September; the best of fortune until then,_

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Albus Dumbledore _

Ginny's hands were white as she held the paper. Harry's voice intruded upon her utmost fears, "It was delivered by Fawkes, so there can be so chance of forgery."

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. _So here we go again!_ She thought with an inward laugh of pain and terror, _all of my worrying, preparing and it comes down to this, possessed without ever knowing!_

Wait a minute …

"No, no wait – this can't be true!" Ginny's voice was shaking, but with relief or fear she couldn't tell. "Dumbledore, he told me, after my first year, that I was safe, that I knew the signs now, and wouldn't be caught again …"

Harry cut her off, his voice ice cold again, "Obviously you missed the signs; that, or your working for him directly –"

But Ginny shook her head, "No you idiot," and his eyes flashed at the insult, "let me finish. He said that if I ever suspected of being enchanted again, that there was this spell I could do, a charm kind of, that would let me find out for sure. I … I just have to perform it before going to sleep at night and I can walk, well travel I guess, through my own mind, and look for signs of 'recent passage'." Ginny shook her head, an odd humour possessing her. "Whatever the bloody hell _that_ means."  
Harry looked doubtful, the strange morning shadows playing across his handsome face, "A charm?" he asked, apparently making some kind of decision. Lowering his wand, he held her gaze with his own, "Fine. If you're telling me the truth, then we can find out tonight. We'll perform the spell and travel – together – into your head."

Ginny took a step back and spoke without even realizing it. Her voice was a low growl, "Never."

Harry looked at her dangerously, "What?"

"Never!" Ginny shook her head, "I'll never let you into my mind, not you! Get Ron, or … or Hermione, if you've already told them."

But Harry shook his head, "No. You could still be lying, I won't risk anyone else but myself."

Ginny's voice was still a growl, her mind, unbidden, recalling the words of the prophecy, "Then you're a fool."

Harry glared at her, "Perhaps. But fool or not we're doing this tonight; otherwise I'm going to assume that you're lying and report you to Mad-Eye Moody."

Moody. Ginny could already see the doubt in his eye, which would be replaced, very swiftly, but complete confidence in Harry's tale. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, with the backing this time of Dumbledore. Could she honestly think he would take her word over theirs, especially since she _had_ once been duped by Voldemort?

No, never. It would be that nightmare come true, the one she had had repeated the summer after first year. It was always in some dungeon far down in the Department of Magic, Fudge sat before her in a giant chair and without fanfare or ceremony declared her the enemy of the free wizarding world and promptly snapped her wand in two. Ginny had watched the beautiful moon calf hair slide to the ground, its magic growing paler as it settled on the cold, hard floor. Men had grabbed her then, forcefully, and pulled her from the room. They took her to a dark, small box, and though she screamed and resisted, they folded her legs against her chest and shut her up inside the box. It was pitch black and cold, and Ginny had screamed and cried and pounded against the sides, which was usually the state her mum found her in the middle of the night, crying until the tears ran dry and screaming until her lungs gave out. She never had been able to get back to sleep after _that_ particular nightmare.

Ginny opened her eyes, she realized only then that they had been squeezed tightly shut, enduring the horrible screams that had been her own, screams which still echoed in the deepest reaches of her mind. And Harry wanted to go in there? She would have laughed if she'd been any less terrified.

"Fine," she said, and her voice was shaking. Harry was watching her, impassively. "Fine." She said a bit stronger, "You want a tour; I'll give you the gold standard! Whether you come back sane or not is beyond my control. Hey – wait a minute …" Ginny took a step back and stared at Harry, "We can't do a charm here, we're not at school, we'll get expelled for sure …"

But Harry shook his head, "You're dad's going to make an announcement to the family today at breakfast. The wizarding age limit for practicing magic outside of school has been lowered by a year. Mundungus let it slip when he picked me up."

"That's right, he came in with you … but, but I thought the letter said that Tonks ..."

"Just because he got one detail wrong doesn't mean it isn't true," Harry said, his voice cold. "That we'll find out tonight, now won't we?"

Ginny thought for a minute. If the wizarding age limit had been dropped, that meant Harry, Ron and Hermione could all practice magic outside of school. She quickly squashed the burning thread of jealousy that rose within her; that meant only one more year until she too would be a real witch. Fine. That just meant they had a little more room for leeway.

Ginny looked back into Harry's gaze. "All right, but one more thing. Before we do this, I want you to perform a binding charm. We'll link all the _extra _information you gleam from my head to a trigger word; you won't be able to tell anyone – not even Ron or Hermione, or Dumbledore for that matter – what you see, hear or find. All you'll be able to report – of your own freewill – is if I'm "guilty, or "innocent". The rest will remain a secret you won't be able to talk about unless I give you _explicit_ permission too."

Harry seemed to consider this. He had to realize how important her privacy was to her … sure enough, after a moment he agreed. "All right, we can look for the charm this afternoon." He paused for a moment, and then a hint of apology etched into his voice, "Ron doesn't believe me. He swears there's no way you could do anything of the sort."

Ginny felt the distant brush of tears against her eyes. When the urge passed, she found her voice and asked, "Why did you tell him anyways? Or me for that matter?'

"I wanted them to be warned, in case something happened. And as for telling you, Ron swore he'd never speak to me again unless I at least gave you a chance to prove you hadn't done anything. I think …" he paused, an odd note in his voice, " … if you … if was you who hurt Hermione … I don't think he'll ever forgive you."

Ginny smiled, she couldn't help it. "He won't; he cares for her safety too much."

Harry nodded, slowly, "They're … getting close, aren't they?"

Ginny shivered, suddenly cold, and realized that the adrenaline rush that had filled her as she read the letter had left her. She opened her mouth to answer Harry's question, but he noticed her chill, and cut her off.

"Never mind, let's – let's just get back to the Burrow. It's probably almost time for breakfast anyways."

It would be actually, Ginny realized. The sky had lightened as they talked, and the dew had almost completely evaporated from the grass. Pulling her sweater down over her chilled hands, Ginny nodded at Harry and the two of them set off back towards the Burrow, a sense not of companionship, but of reduced wariness between them.

Harry, Ginny noted, had finally put his wand back in his pocket. Somehow, that gave her the tiniest bit of hope that maybe; just perhaps, this little expedition would turn out okay. Perhaps even, it would be some kind of turning point, for the better.

Hiss tightened twice on her ankle and Ginny had the distinct impression it had been in warning against too happy thoughts. Dimming her own expectations, she silently followed Harry into the house.

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_There, I changed a few things here and there. Mainly the point where Harry can only release "extra" information with Ginny's permisson. It didn't make much sense before, did it? Lol._

_Another thanks to _NymphPatronus_for ALSO reminding me to update. I will - I will!!! Just .. give me time. _

_Read On, my friends. And FEED THE BUTTON!!!_

_(review review review!)_


	6. 5 Lesson's Learned

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

_Hey all! _

_Well I stopped writing for a while … the internet was down and then up, and school started to get nuts. Besides that, I've got a permanent fictional story that I'm continually working on, and it took priority for a while. But the writing bug has stuck me again, no telling how long it'll last this time! Enjoy the chapter, and I'll probably be writing a few more during exams!_

_Light love laughter!_

_rain_

**Chapter Five**

Ginny's dad did indeed make the big announcement during breakfast. He surprised her, however, by approaching her before the meal, after her and Harry had returned from the paddock. As they approached the kitchen Ginny realized it must have been later than she thought, for her mum and dad were already up and about, mum making porridge on the stove and dad reading the _Daily Prophet_ at the kitchen table. At the sight, Ginny had been nervous about walking into the kitchen. As she had many times before, Ginny wondered how much her parents knew about their children's lives. Sometimes they could seem completely clueless, but at other times Ginny wondered. Mum had been especially quiet to her this summer, but that could be for any number of reasons.

It was all Harry's fault, Ginny decided as she cautiously entered the kitchen, he was all too awful at hiding his true opinions. The great scowl he had worn last night and the thoughtful look on his face now; it was a wonder the entire wizarding world didn't already know there was trouble in the Weasley household.

But for all her concerns, neither of Ginny's parents gave any sign that anything unusual was underfoot. There were no secret glances or knowing looks; Ginny always watched carefully for those, as they had been the focal point of her childhood. Breathing easier, Ginny began to walk confidently towards her bedroom; but as Harry quickly ascended the stairs – doubtlessly to tell Ron and Hermione about the morning's events – there was a swish of papers as dad put down the _Daily Prophet_. Sweating now, Ginny tried to make a dash for the stairwell, but her father's voice stopped her.

"Ginny, could I have a word with you?"

His tone was soft, fatherly, and Ginny had a momentary flash of panic. Had they found out about Hiss? Were they going to question her on Harry's recent behaviour? Or worse – had Dumbledore contacted them too, to warn them that their daughter might possibly be working for the enemy? Turning to face her father, Ginny braced herself for the question.

"O – Okay. Uh, what is it?"

Mr. Weasley patted the chair beside him, and Ginny crossed the kitchen to sit in it nervously. Hiss must have picked up on her scent, for he contracted twice quickly about her ankle. Whether in warning or comfort, Ginny couldn't tell.

"Ginny, I know you must feel left out by the others, you're the youngest and I – you're mother and I – know that has been hard on you."

His voice was gentle, his eyes understanding, and Ginny guiltily averted her gaze. Forcing herself to respond, she nodded her head stiffly.

"Sometimes."

"Well, a decision has been made at the Ministry, one which will impact you indirectly but that I still want to bring up. The wizarding age level for practicing magic –"  
Mr. Weasley broke off at Ginny's sudden, relieved laugh. It came out as more of an odd choking sound, and she quickly coughed into her fist as cover.

"S – sorry, dad. Dust. Um, what were you saying?"

Mr. Weasley stared at his daughter, "Well, well I was just going to say that the Ministry has decided to drop the wizarding age level for practicing magic by a year, from seventeen to sixteen, and Dumbledore wants the other's to start practicing here at the Burrow."

Dumbledore. Ginny looked back up with a start into her father's eyes when he mentioned the Headmaster, but they revealed nothing else except concern for their only daughter's welfare. Ginny forced herself to listen to the rest.

"I know that it might be hard for you, mum has mentioned how many times you've mentioned wanting to be of age, but the decision has been made and we're all going to have to live with it …" and Ginny saw now that her mum was scrubbing the dishes now a little too hard, with just a tad too much fear and worry in the scratching swirls …

"… well we just thought that you should know, before the other's do that is. So it wouldn't come as such of a shock."

Ginny smiled at her father with real fondness, "Thanks, dad. For telling me, that is. It's – its okay, I mean …" and here she shrugged, "Well Ron and the other's have done so much against Voldemort –"

The room flinched, and Ginny winced. It really wouldn't do for her to sound too familiar with that name. "Against you-know-you, I mean, that it seems … well it seems right that they should practice during the summer."

Her dad looked relieved at her easy acceptance. _It isn't easy at all_, Ginny thought to herself, _but what else can I do, really? Whine and cry? That won't get me anywhere._

"Good, well – if you want to go raise the others now then, we can start breakfast."

Ginny nodded and got up from the chair. Hiss was pulsating now on her leg. She was sure he wanted an update – though he was good at reading her reactions, and had learned a little of English, Hiss often wanted play-by-play details from her in parseltongue. Ginny couldn't risk reaching down to console him now, so she was forced to hope he understood that she would fill him in later.

Ginny found Harry, Ron and Hermione all in Ron's room. She knocked on the door, and Harry answered it. Ron was on the floor and Hermione was on his bed, both looked up as the door opened, and Ginny tried to avoid their glances.

"Breakfast is ready," she told them, fully intending to turn away, but found herself waiting for Harry's response.

He looked her in the eye and nodded, "Okay." For once there was no clue as to what he was thinking or feeling in his words. Ginny forced herself to nod back, and hoped she didn't give anything away either. Leaving the golden trio then, Ginny walked back down the stairs.

She was trying not to be envious, she was trying not to be scared, but the fact of the matter was that Ginny Weasley was both. Keeping the panic at bay – knowing how much it would upset Hiss – Ginny went back down to the kitchen and sat in her usual place.

The others came down only a moment or two later. Dad smiled brightly at all the children, and mum tried to look undaunted as she spooned out breakfast. Ginny could see the crinkle of worry in her eyes though, and the fear in her trembling hand; yet still no one else seemed to notice.

Fred and George were gone; they always started the morning in Diagon Alley and usually wound up at the Burrow sometime in the late afternoon. The business was still doing well, though everyone was taking a hard hit now that it was confirmed Voldemort was back. They had arranged a nice saving's account with Bill at Gringott's in their first year of business, and were living mostly off the interest. So it was that there were only four children that morning at breakfast, and Ginny tried her utmost to avoid eye-contact with each of them.

Consequently there wasn't much talk at the table, dad and mum exchanged a few words here and there, and now and then Ron would say something quietly to Hermione, but Ginny could never determine what. Not that she was really listening. Now that she had nothing to do except sit down and eat, her mind kept drifting to Harry's words earlier that morning.

"_Explain this to me then_," and "_I must implore you not to trust Ginevra Weasley_" had taken over the swimming pool in her head. Ginny kept her face pointed down at her bowl; trying to will the words back into her past and out of the present.

Finally her father finished his breakfast and cleared his throat. Harry's head shot up out of his own breakfast, and even Ron and Hermione stopped talking. Mum's scrubbing – really, what _was_ she washing? – intensified a little in the background.

"The Ministry has just come to a very difficult decision." He announced without preamble. "And I must admit that it is one that I, and others who have believed from the beginning that Voldemort was back and as dangerous as ever, have been pushing for since this entire mess started. The debate has been raging for quite some time, though a final vote was held last night and the results are finally in. Though I loath to put the lot of you in danger, it cannot be denied that students under the age of seventeen should be allowed – without fear of recrimination – to practice magic outside of school."

Hermione's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as Mr. Weasley continued, "Harry's own episode with the Dementors last summer proved this beyond reasonable doubt. Defense, especially by those capable, should be at the forefront of everyone's mind these days and it is to this end that the Ministry has decided that the new Wizarding age limit for practicing magic outside of designated areas will now be sixteen, not seventeen. I believe," and here his eyes twinkled again, "that makes most of you eligible, except of course Ginny here." And here he turned to face her for a moment, before turning back to the others. Ginny felt both Ron and Hermione's gaze settle on her for a moment as well, but Ginny forced herself to look only at the table-top and not respond to the questions implicit in those stares.

"Moody, Tonks and Mundungus Fletcher have all agreed to help train you three up for the remainder of the time we will stay at the Burrow. After that, they will have to return to their own duties, but for now their primary concern is both our protection and your well-being. And that means counter-curse practicing. I have been asked to inform you three to be on your guard at all times around the Burrow, for an attack can come from anywhere, at any time. Ginny, of course," and again he turned to her, "will not be allowed to practice defense, but I have talked to Moody and he has agreed to let her help in attack."

At this Ginny raised her eyes from the table, a hopeful, confused feeling raising despite the protests inside of her. Did that mean she _would_ get to use her wand? But dad answered her unspoken question with a shake of his head, "You will not be allowed to actually practice magic," he went on, "but you will be allowed to physically attack anyone on the grounds. It will be a chance for you to work on your reflexes as well, for those counter-curse defenses can be pretty nasty." Dad smiled, "Of course, all the Aurors will be on hand to un-curse you, should you not quite be fast enough."

Ginny found herself smiling back, a giddy feeling in her chest. It could actually prove pretty interesting, sneak-attacking these three. Grinning, Ginny let her imagine run free for a moment, thinking up different ways of surprising them.

Dad turned back to the group at large, "Now, the age limit was officially dropped at midnight last night, so you may start anytime you like –" He stopped whatever he was going to say with a grin, for Hermione had already taken off towards the stairway, running to her room and her waiting wand.

Ron shot her a dark look, which Hermione completely missed because she was already half-way up the stairs. Turning to Ginny he shook his head, "See what she does to herself? Pushing her limits she is, and its no wonder the curse came back!" And he eyes sought hers as he said that, and Ginny gave him a rewarding smile. It was nice to know that Ron, though he had practically disowned her for the past four-and-a-half years, still defended his little sister.

Still grinning, Ginny said, "You'd better go after her, she'll rupture herself if she tries to take the stairs two at a time." Ron shook he head and got up from his seat, making eye contact with Harry above her head. She didn't want to look at Harry, but Ginny watched her brother for any sign of what passed between them. It seemed the two boys had made a peace of some sort, for Ron nodded in answer to some unspoken question before taking off after Hermione.

Ginny sighed into what remained of her breakfast, the joy her dad's announcement fading as she wished longingly for a friendship – with a human, that was – that didn't require words either. Ginny shook her head, it was silly to sit here and mope when Hiss was probably dying to find out what exactly had passed between her and Harry that morning.

Ginny's mum smiled as she took the bowl from Ginny's hand, the last of the dishes left on the table. Ginny tried to smile back, but instead turned before her mum could ask her what was wrong, and called out from over her shoulder that she was heading towards the paddock.

"Just be back for lunch, dear," was her mum's only reply.

It didn't take long to reach her refuge, the bright air completely obliterating any solemn, dangerous feeling the early morning had brought. When they were safety out of sight, Ginny carefully lifted her pant leg and Hiss slithered forth, his bright pink tongue reflexively tasting the morning air, his tail twitching after being so long in concealment.

"Did I perhapsss misssunderssstand, or did you, little sssnake, agree to let this Harry Potter accessss to your intermossst thoughtsss thisss evening night?"

With a sigh of resignation, Ginny gave Hiss the full extent of the tale and could see from his express that he liked the story even less once she had finished.

"I wasss under the impression that thisss Dumbledore held great esssteem in your eyesss."

Ginny let herself fall back against the oak trunk, "He does, and that's why this is so confusing. If he really thought I was under possession, well I just would think that he would contact me about it – try to, I don't know – un-possess me, somehow. But just leaving me here, a possible enemy right in my family's lap? I don't know … it's just not something I could see him doing."

Hiss seemed to think on this for a moment, and then turned his cunning snake-eyes back to her own, "I do not know of thisss Dumbledore, except through you, but you do not ssssmell possessed to me. I would have informed you inssstantly if thisss were ssso."

Ginny blinked at him, "You could smell if I were possessed? How is _that_ possible?"

Hiss seemed confused by her question, "It would be reflected in your ssscent, the – fear – would prevail over any inhibiting possession. It isss almossst imposssible to misss."

Ginny stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. She was sure she was missing something. "Hiss, I've always known that you can pick up on my emotions from my scents, but are you telling me that …" she searched for the translation in parseltongue, " …that my, my _physical_ smell, could tell you without a doubt that I was not in control?"

Hiss stared at her again, "Partially, little sssnake, but mossstly it would be your other sssmell, your _sa'Hashiri'TH_," and Ginny could not translate the word. She got the impression that it meant _soul_, or _inner-being_, but that it included more than that, "It would be profoundly affected, and could not be hidden."

Ginny looked at her friend with new wonder, "So, all this time then, you haven't been simply _smelling_ me, you've been _reading_ my … my _sa'Hashiri'TH_, to gage my moods and impressions. Can you … can do this to every human?"

Hiss flicked his tongue once in and out and moved his tail in an expression that meant 'no'. He seemed to pause. "How can I explain thisss?" He finally said, slithering a little on the grass. "It hasss not sssseemed important to bring up, for I had alwaysss assssumed you were aware of it." He seemed to think for a moment before continuing, "There are many thingsss that sssnakes, all reptiles I believe, can sssenssse – sssmell. The aurora of all life can we sssomewhat sssense, for all life doesss project itssself into ssspace. But humansss, sssso varied and ssstrange, can we usssually not underssstand. Your practicesss are too ssstrange for many of usss to ssstudy. But thosssse individualsss, of all ssspeciessss, with magical abilitiesss, thossse are much easssier to sssenssse. Ssssome witchessss and wizardsss are intriguing to different creaturesss, which issss why sssome have familiarsss who decide to remain with their humansss. Even thosssse creaturesss not essspecially sssentient can, to ssssome degree, read thessse sssmellsss, and decided to ssstay with their ssselected massstersss.

Sssome witchesss and wizardsss are ssso attunded to a ssspecific creature that they are able to temporarily take their sssshape. Thesssse you call 'animagi', and their ssscent, to any ssspeciess, is very dissstinct. You, however," and now Hiss looked at her squarely in the eye, "Your ssscent isss extremely … powerful. I have sssensssed it every sssince you were born into thisss houssse. All around thisss place have sssensssed it, essspecially the reptilesss and our ancient enemiesss, the mammalsss. I, passssing through thissss area, wasss intrigued by it, and decided to ssstay. I wasss curiousss as to why a human, even a witch, ssshould posssesss ssso ssstrong a sssmell. But you were young and ssstill burrow-fed, and asss far assss I knew, you could not underssstand our great tongue. It wasss only after you returned from ssschool and caught me ssspeaking to another sssnake, did I realize that you could indeed underssstand me. You're sssmell, though, wasss heavily tinged with that fear that I have ssspoken of. I knew that you had been taken over by some evil, in recent time. Many of the othersss were afraid of you then, but I knew you to be the sssame witch you once were, only older and more aware of the reality of the world. I began to ssspeak to you, and, over time, you have become my dearessst friend," and here did Hiss bend his head and touch his head to Ginny's hand, a symbol of the greatest respect. Ginny felt tears cloud her eyes and wanted to respond, but Hiss continued.

"I wasss unsssure if your ssstrong sssmell wasss the direct resssult of your ssspeaking the sssnake tongue, but now I am sssure of it, for the young Harry Potter alssso hasss a sssimilar ssscent, though sssomehow different. Perhapsss becaussse he isss male and you a female, I do not know. But I do know that you are different from othersss of your own kind, as he isss too.

But you are both powerful beingsss, little sssnake. That isss why thisss – excursssion – troublessss me. To have two such beingsss in one tiny head," he twirled his tail unconvinced, "I do not approve of the prossspect."

It took Ginny a moment to gather a breath; the things Hiss had revealed to her – was it true then that Tom had not given her this language, this understanding? Had it truly been part of her the entire time? – boggled her mind. But his concerns deserved addressing, especially since he had shared them in their entirety.

"Hiss," she said, looking down at her dearest companion, "you too are my most trusted friend, and if I had some other way of proving to Harry that I am not dangerous, especially after you have assured me I am not, I would gladly do it. I do not think he would accept your sense of smell, even if we did tell him about you, and I see no other way to make him understand. I … I thank you though, for your concerns."

Hiss flickered his tongue in a snake's appreciative gesture, "I alwaysss worry for you, little sssnake. If there isss no other way, then, it mussst be done. But I would like to be with you, clossse by if I cannot accompany you insssside."

Ginny smiled warmly at him, "I would like nothing better, Hiss. It would indeed give me great comfort to have you near."

They sat for a moment in companionable silence, until something tickled at Ginny's mind.

"Hiss, if you can sense the people around you, do you think I can too?"

Hiss rose from his previous position on her stomach, where he had been lying comfortably in the sun. "I do not know," he said to her, slowly, obviously thinking as he spoke. "I do not sssee why not, for there isss much of sssnake in you, and I do recall once my den-mother telling me that other creaturesss, sssuch asss mamalsss, have sssimilar abilitiesss. I do not sssee why you could not." He fixed her with a questioning look, "Have you ever tried?"

Ginny shook her head, "What would I have to do?"

"I do not know how it worksss for other ssspeciess, but when one isss learning, one mussst clear the mind, and focusss on the ssself. When all other sssensssationssss have passsed into the inner darkness, then one can turn the mind to thossse around one, and sssmell them for who they really are."

Ginny smiled at him, "It sounds pretty basic, but I get the feeling it's a little bit harder than that."

Hiss flickered his tail in a snake's agreement, "It isss difficult to learn, at firssst. But once one learnsss, it isss an eassy ssskill that can be quite ussseful."

"Hmm." Ginny propped her chin in her hand, still leaning against the oak. Clearing her mind should be no problem, she'd had to learn that early on in order to begin practicing magic, but still…

"Oi! Ginny! Where are you?"

"Gin-Gin!! Ginny-wee-one!!"

Ginny laughed despite herself at the twin's echoing shouts, they were early back from their shop unless time was playing tricks on her, but since Harry was here they were probably trying to get a Quidditch game started. Motioning for Hiss to slither off and hide, she stood and called out, "Give me a minute! I've got to go find a broom!"

Hiss hit the tall grass not an instant too soon, for Fred and George crashed through the paddock's thin cover a moment later, each holding a broom in one hand, a Quaffle held lightly in Fred's left and an extra broom in George's right. Ron, Hermione and Harry followed closely after them, Hermione and Harry carrying the rest of the equipment in two abused black bags and Ron trailing from behind, rubbing his nose tenderly.

George tossed Ginny a broom as Fred got started on turning the familiar paddock into a genuine Quidditch pitch. Ginny caught it easily and felt a smile settling onto her face. Behind her she could hear Hermione say to Ron, "Stop rubbing at it!" and turned to see her youngest brother still dabbing at his nose. A closer look told her it had probably been bleeding, before Hermione had put a charm on it.

George grinned and explained, pulling out his Beaters club, "Mad-Eye had them counter-cursing for the better part of an hour and Ron did a nice front-face-flip after Fred conjured a spider for him."

Ginny snickered and Ron glared at her, "Hey! I've had my fill of spiders, thank you very much!" When George did an impromptu dramatization of the fall, Ron threw a Bludger at him but awkwardly as it flew harmlessly over his head, picking up enough momentum to smack Fred perfectly on his arse.

"Hey!" Fred turned with an indignant expression, but Harry had already let go of the Snitch and swung himself onto his Firebolt and Ron launched himself onto his own broom, ducking out of the way of Fred's answering Bludger. Hermione made herself comfortable in the tall grass and Ginny settled onto her own broom, laughingly taking off after the Quaffle as the annual Weasley game of Quidditch got underway.

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_Hey All._

_So once again with the not much changing. The quick-sighted among you might have noticed that "Virgina" has been changed to "Ginevra" (which I personally like much better), and I might even bring Ginny's now-announced August 11th birthday into the story for a chapter or two. It really would fit in, right after they settled into Number 12. I will not, (I'm pretty sure), be bringing in the Felix ..whatever, chapter titles we've heard about recently. There's just no place I can put them, and even then – whatever I imagine it does, I'm sure it's different that what the Almighty JKR might imagine. _

_But we've got a release date!!! squeal!!! _

_And remember: Feed the Button! Review review review!!!_


	7. 6 Of the Mind and Heart

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

Heyo everyone!

**Bells**: thanks for reading the chapter, even though you didn't review! But you've been so good, you may just get that cookie yet!

**jcd1013**: does that stand for something, btw??? Don't worry about painfully short! Any review is a good review! Though if you do have more time, I would love to hear what you say in a "long" review, since you say a lot in a short! Glad you like Hiss, he really is my one proud character in this story, the only one I can claim as my own! Well, from who you've seen so far! Even though you said to take all the time I need, this next one is out pretty quick, and I've already got three pages done of the next!

Hope you all enjoy it,

Light love laughter!

Rain

**Chapter Six**

Ginny caught the Quaffle thrown to her by George, ducked under Fred's hurled Bludger and threw the Quaffle as hard as she could over Ron's outstretched hands. George cheered and Ron cursed good-naturedly. Harry was a dark streak against the green trees as he dove in behind the make-shift hoop, caught the Quaffle with one hand and threw it back into the game, before returning to his section of the pitch. He was not really participating in the game himself, but was practicing one-on-one with the Snitch closer to the tree-line.

Ginny took a moment to catch her breath and couldn't resist watching him, forgetting she was mad at him, forgetting the accusations he had hurled and the expedition they would take, as she watched him launch the Snitch over and over again into the air. He would give it a two second head-start; allow it the brief flash of freedom, before streaking after it with an expert eye and a tight, fast fist. Ginny almost felt bad for the Snitch, it never had a chance to travel more than a few feet unless he let it. Even after almost an entire year without practice, he still hadn't lost his natural knack for the game.

"Oi, Ginny! Catch!" Fred laughed at her from across the paddock and Ginny tore her eyes off Harry to leap after the Quaffle. She caught it expertly in one had, and for once, it wasn't falling apart from use. She was glad the twins were doing well at work, if only so they could continue feeding their siblings obsession with Quidditch, purchasing not-exactly-new-but-hardly-indecent equipment for the family's enjoyment. If she were good, they often teased her; she might just get a new broom for her birthday.

Together the family zipped and zagged all over the small paddock, and Ginny felt the stress of the world lift off her shoulder's as she caught and threw the Quaffle, and even had a turn as Beater when Fred was called for a few minutes back into the house.

"Mum said dinner's in a half an hour," he called out to the group as he swung back on his broom, catching the Quaffle from George and ducking a Bludger from Ginny. The announcement added a new spur to the game, and even Harry finally joined in, abandoning his lonely obsession with the Snitch to play Chaser against Ginny for a while.

On her part, Ginny did her best to the keep the friendly competition … well, friendly. George played for her 'side' while Fred played for Harry's. Both tried to score on Ron, who was against whichever team came at him. Hermione, sitting comfortably on the ground with an unidentifiable textbook in her lap, kept score and smiled encouragingly every now at everyone. Twice Ginny thought she caught her friend looking pained and clutching a little at her stomach, but both times the instance seemed to pass, and so Ginny tried to pay it little mind.

Harry was, after all, fierce competition, and she really couldn't spare many glances. He turned and wove as a Chaser with the same inborn talent he applied as Seeker, but Ginny was more accustomed to the larger Quaffle, and had better aim at the hoops. Still it was a close game, and when mum finally did call them in, even Hermione wasn't sure who was winning.

Everyone, except Hermione of course, was tired and sweaty after the game, but even Hermione seemed to share in the brimming sense of contentment that filled the group. Ginny felt more relaxed and at ease than she had in a long time; it was as if the constant knot of tension in her spine had been loosened, and even Harry was finally smiling. It was only a small, content smile, but it was encouraging to all.

Even mum's stern glare had softened at that relaxed look. She was waiting with dad, Moody, Tonks and Mundungus at the garden tables as the group trudged back to the Burrow, and everyone caught waiting looked both hungry and impatient. Still, at the sight of Harry for once this summer _not _scowling, the group contained their impatience and harsh words and the children settled in at the table without too much hassle.

Ginny for one was starved. She had forgotten how at once exhilarating and draining Quidditch could be. Luckily the food was delicious, as always, and between heaping mouthfuls dinner proceeded smoothly – the twins animating Ron's rather spectacular fall again and again for the three Aurors, and anyone else who would listen – until about halfway through the meal Mrs. Weasley looked up at Ginny and remarked, "I wish you'd keep that snake out of the garden, Ginny, it keeps burrowing little holes in around the bushes and the gnomes are moving closer and closer to the house."

Ginny nearly dropped her fork. Though the noise level around the table didn't change, she felt instantly as if the entire family had stopped and stared at her. A quick glance showed that no one had apparently taken interest in the remark, until she noticed that Harry had stopped eating, his spoon paused in the air, half raised to his mouth.

Willing herself to sound nonchalant, Ginny took another forkful of salad and asked, "What was that, mum?"

Mrs. Weasley herself didn't seem to think much of the incident. She took another bite of potato and remarked, "That green Gardner snake that follows you everywhere; it keeps putting holes in the backyard. Tell me you have noticed it, my dear." And now her mother sounded so worried, so concerned, that it was all Ginny could do to only begrudgingly nod.

Immediately her mother brightened. Ginny hadn't wanted to realize it, but her mum _had_ been a bit more concerned about her than usual this summer, especially after that horrible coma she had slipped into briefly after the Department of Mysteries disaster. "It must be that bacon you kept in your pocket, last week Ginny. Use Grandma Prewett's black soap to wash out your cloak and put a piece of garlic in your pockets for a week. That should make it leave you alone."

Ginny flashed her mum a sheepish smile, "Your right, sorry mum. I just love your bacon. That's a good idea though – I'll try it tomorrow. The garlic is above the stove, right?"

She knew perfectly well where the garlic was, but watched from the corner of her eye as Harry paused a moment more over his dish before taking another bite. Ginny resisted the urge to sigh in relief, and instead nodded at her mother's answering directions.

Dinner continued as usual then, though Ginny had to put down her fork a few times more to wipe her sweaty palms dry against her pants. She couldn't believe that mum had noticed Hiss, or that she could be so careless! She was lucky he hadn't been caught riding around on her ankle, or sleeping next to her in bed, or the fat really would have hit the frying pan.

Harry had seemed to accept her mum's explanation, but Ginny couldn't help but noticing the guarded expression that once again ruled his face. She sighed into her plate, for a while there … he really had seemed happy.

And then once she realized Harry was being careful did Ginny remember why – the letter, Dumbledore's warning and, of course, their journey tonight. Sweat broke out fierce on her brow and Ginny quickly again wiped her palms against her thighs. She was going to have to remain calm – no one else could notice a thing. Taking a deep breath, Ginny turned deliberately to Tonks and managed to finish dinner with a rather intriguing conversation over the few limitations placed on a Metamorphmagi. By the time desert was done and the table's occupants sat stuffed in their seats, Ginny had almost managed to convince herself that dinner would never end.

But of course it did. Moody and Tonks were the first to rise, saying they would "inspect the perimeter" before turning in to bed. Fred and George were next, explaining they had to check on their newest shipment to both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade – their stock was carried at both – and would be back within an hour. Ginny watched as mum and dad both nodded, mum warning them to be careful and not to stay out too late, before they, too, rose from the table. Mum performed a quick charm and the dishes orderly moved themselves to the kitchen, while dad started rearranging the picnic tables. Hermione offered to help; obliviously eager to learn new charms, but mum tutted them all off to bed. Ginny rose from the table, under the watchful eye of Harry – who was back to glaring at her now, staring as if daring her to try and run away.

_Like I could_, Ginny thought glumly, watching the two Aurors as they moved to opposite sides of the lawn, testing the defenses. Mundungus, in a surprising move, actually offered to help with the dishes, and sounding shocked, mum gladly accepted.

Hermione and Ron had already moved inside. Ginny followed, with mum, Mundungus, dad and Harry all following after her. Ron and Hermione paused in the kitchen, but Ginny strode past them both to the stairs, resisting the urge to stop and look back.

She had already decided that her bedroom would be the safest place to perform the charm. Harry was sharing with Ron, and Ginny definitely didn't want her brother watching while the two of them dove in her most private thoughts. Dealing with Harry was going to be bad enough without compounding the audience.

There may have been a time when Ginny and Ron shared everything, but even with his recent protective behaviour, this was no longer it. Yet the regret was an old one, and stung a little less each year.

Hermione was staying with Tonks in Percy's old room. Even though the Ministry had finally smartened-up, he still refused to come home. Mom wouldn't even talk about it, though she still set a place for him every night at dinner, and during all meals in between. Ginny knew it was the last thing she had told him, before he had broken the last communication – that he was always welcome to stop by, and would always have a table place ready. Ginny herself wasn't quite sure how she felt about the whole situation, but was glad Hermione was still allowed to have Percy's old room, since it allowed her and Tonks to wake up the several times they needed to each night, to properly administer Hermione's continuing potions.

Ginny went first to the washroom before going to her room, already mentally preparing herself for the coming task, before she remembered that Hiss was still outside. The thought pained her, but if she went back out now not only would Harry notice but Moody and Tonks would too. Bloody hell. Hiss she definitely wanted present … Ginny battled with the thought for a moment.

Maybe she could risk it. Carefully, Ginny opened her door and peered out into the hallway. A creak in the house told her Hermione, and hopefully Ron and Harry, had already gone upstairs. Mum was still in the kitchen with dad … but maybe she could make up some kind of excuse. Thinking quickly, Ginny stepped out into the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry's voice sounded cold. Ginny turned to see him standing behind her, having obviously just stepped out of his invisibility cloak. _Damn!_ She'd forgotten about that particular possession. For the second time that evening, Ginny tried to sound nonchalant, "To the garden."

"Why?" the question sounded more like an accusation.

"To get something!" Ginny snarled, turning back to the stairway. Who the hell did he think he was anyway …?

A hand tightened on her shoulder, "I don't think so."

Then Ginny did something that surprised herself: she laughed; a cold, hard chuckle that seemed to come from the pit of her stomach. She didn't bother turning around to reply, "If I'm not back in five minutes you can call the _Daily Prophet_, alert Dumbledore and do anything else you think is necessary to do round up a rogue spy. Hell you can even rush out after me yourself; lunge headfirst into danger the way you always do. Oh wait, the last time you did, someone _died_."

There was a pause from behind her. Ginny herself held her breath. In a way, she couldn't believe she had just said that, but even as she confirmed the words had been hers, she was curiously unsurprised to feel no stab of guilt, and no automatic 'sorry' came to her lips. Instead, Ginny felt a surprising rush of … pleasure? … as Harry stiffened behind her. The feeling scared her, and as soon as the pressure on her shoulder lessened, Ginny tore off his grip and rushed down the stairs.

She stumbled into the kitchen and spun out towards the garden, barely noticing Moody and Tonks as they waked past her into the Burrow. Blinking back sudden tears, Ginny walked the few feet to where her sandcastle had once been built and at the sight of Hiss waiting there for her on the sand, burst into tears.

Hiss rolled his tail in a snake's gesture of in-comprehension. Wisely, he didn't speak, only slithered over to his friend, comforting her with his presence.

Ginny coughed, the sudden fear she had felt – at herself! – took her breath away. She tried to stop the flow of tears, but only managed to smear them around her face

"Oh Hiss," she whispered in parseltongue, too low for anyone not within two feet of her to hear, "are you sure I'm not possessed?"

Hiss flickered his tongue at her, once, twice, and kept silent. His eyes told her what she needed to know though, and the answer was the same as it had been earlier that afternoon. There was no outside force to blame - it was only her inner anger, her inner _fury_, which had spoken out of turn.

Ginny knew she had a temper, and had learned years ago to control it – or thought she had. Hateful things had she said in the past, but had been sure that part of her had been forgotten, dismissed, or at least, buried in some deep dark corner of her mind.

Only Harry had always managed to reach deep into every dark part of her with barely a glance or a notice. Ginny once again resigned herself to what – and who – she was. In a lot of ways, just one messed up kid. Nodding to Hiss, she lifted her pant leg and he carefully crawled under. Standing up, Ginny gave her head a shake, dried the last tears from her eyes, and set back off towards the kitchen.

Passing it, she saw that the dishes had been put away and her parents gone up to bed. Harry was waiting for her at the table, leaning against its sturdy surface so he could watch her as she came it. Ginny straightened her back and met his death-set glare. She shook her head when he indicated for her to sit down, and instead lead the way to her room.

Though Harry had obviously always known where her room was, she didn't think he had ever been inside of it. For a moment Ginny looked at the familiar scene with a stranger's eye: the furniture was Bill's old hand-me-down wooden set, but she had worked her own personality into it. The desk-top had been painted a deep, brilliant red, only slightly worn down by time. The bed covers were well patched but clean, and the window was left open. The white curtain she had sewed herself was pushed back to let in the full escape of the stars, and the floor was reasonably tidy, with books and homework piled if not neatly, then at least squarely near the walls. All in all it was a small room, but lovingly cared for. A quiet refuge from a noisy home.

Harry paused in the doorway, and Ginny had to turn towards him. "Come on, you've got your cloak in case anyone storms in. Ron and Hermione know, I take it?" She waited for Harry's answering nod, his features unreadable, set in stone. "Then you've nothing to worry about. No one else comes in here, anyway."

She waiting patiently for him to enter the room, and when he finally did, she reached around him to carefully close the door. "Where do you want to sit?" she asked, trying to cover her own sudden nervousness, "on the floor or …?"

Harry actually cleared his throat, "Um, there doesn't seem to be much room." That much was true, Ginny realized, looking around again. Her room was actually quite small.

"All right then," she bustled, trying to feel suddenly like her mum, "on the bed then. Don't worry, I won't bite." And with that she went over and sat down by the foot of her bed, the soft mattress suddenly feeling like a stranger's.

Harry eyed the comforter warily, then straightened his back and sat down. He seemed surprised at the softness of it, and Ginny realized he must be used to Ron's room. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and then Harry spoke up, his voice again cold. "You know the charm then?"

Ginny shook herself, "Yes, um – yes I do. You'll have to perform it though, since I'll get expelled. I'll … well I'd better write it down then, since Dumbledore said it's pretty powerful. I don't want to activate it by accident." Ginny reached over to her desk and pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment. She quickly scrawled out the phrase, and then looked over at Harry. "You know a good binding charm?"

He nodded and pulled his wand out from his pocket. "Yes, Hermione taught me a good one." He held her gaze, "It will allow me to tell anyone information I may need to defend myself against, but will allow me to speak no other details. Agreed?"

Ginny found herself nodding, "I guess that's all I can ask for. Agreed."

Arranging herself on the bed, Ginny got comfortable and tried to make sure Hiss had enough room without being obvious about it, before handing the scrap of parchment to Harry. She wasn't surprised to see her hand was shaking, but hoped he didn't notice.

Harry likewise made himself comfortable, glanced at the phrase on the parchment, and looked over. "Do you know what's going to happen?"

Ginny shook her head, willing her goosebumps to go down. "No, I've …well I've never actually tried it, even by myself. Let alone with two people."

Harry nodded and closed his eyelids, seeming to concentrate for a second before he looked up, green eyes blazing, and pointed his wand at her saying, "_Abscondi gnaritas_. _Peragro praesentia_!"

Ginny felt the words flow over to her; they swam to her ears, reverberating a little in her brain, but didn't stop there. Taking her consciousness with them, they sank down _into_ her, passing through her body and flesh, and into her spirit, her soul, her mind Dimly, Ginny could feel the words lighting the way ahead of her, and even more dimly could she feel Harry, his own consciousness caught, as he followed from behind ….

_Hey All,_

_I have to admit – I laughed out loud over my own words. What Ginny yells to Harry? I went: OUCH! Tehehe… it's always good when an author does that to herself. _

_Not many changes here. I'm thinking of majorly chaning the chapter after the next. You'll see when you get there. And I'm not sure how far this goes … fourteen chapters. Wow! _

_Oh, and when I switch to Hermione's voice later on? Yeah, thinking of changing that too. It was such a different point of view .. and I'm not sure if 1) I was Hermione-on, or 2) if it was really needed. I thought it was at the time, but now I'm not so sure. I'll have to check .. _


	8. 7 Mist and Truth

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

**Chapter Seven**

…. And together they fell into the misty recesses of her mind. Ginny didn't know whether to be exhilarated or frightened as images of her life rushed past her …

…there was her father, kneeling in the backyard of the burrow, and Ginny knew it was her first true memory of him, grinning from ear to ear as he built her a sandbox "the muggle way" ….

… she was sitting on a stool in the kitchen and Fred and George were playing with her hair, having 'borrowed' their mother's wand to turn the bright red first purple, then green, and finally pink. Mom had come storming in; yelling at them to stop, but Ginny had only giggled and raced off before the magic rainbow could be undone …

… Ron had just gotten his Hogwarts letter; the whole family was sitting at the table, and each was congratulating him in turn, except for Ginny, who felt her heart break at the large grin that had taken over his face …

… and then _thump_! Ginny felt herself hit the ground and the images fled from her mind. Shaking her head to clear it, Ginny stood up and looked around, surprised to find herself standing in her own backyard. The Burrow itself lay just ahead on the grass, only it looked grey, filled with mist, and appeared only half-formed. Turning, Ginny saw Harry standing behind her. He too had just fallen into this place, and was dusting himself off as he stood. Something about him seemed odd, and Ginny had to stare for a moment before she placed it.

He looked … solid! – as real as he looked in the "real" world. Ginny looked down at herself, but saw the ground staring back at her through her body. Ginny looked away quickly, fighting back nausea. Why did Harry get to be solid and her a wondering ghost? After all, wasn't this _her_ mind?

Trying to look casual, ignoring the way the flowers seemed clearer when viewed through her hand, Ginny cast her eyes around for Hiss but her reptilian friend appeared nowhere in sight. Either he hadn't made the crossing with them, or he was keeping still, and silent.

"Are we here?" Harry asked her, and turning she saw that he was staring at her as if trying to see her through the mist. To her ghost-like ears, his words seemed as slow and insubstantial as she felt. Ginny tried to shake her head, but wasn't sure if she actually completed the movement. "I don't know," she answered, in case she hadn't.

Harry glanced around again but didn't move from his place on the grass. Ginny looked up at the Burrow, still grey and misty, and saw that the path towards the kitchen door looked – for once – uninviting. A slight chill ran threw her, and she resisted the urge to hug herself, fearing her arms might slide right threw one another. She looked back at Harry and frowned, "I'm not sure if this is right."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, walking up behind her, and even though Ginny knew he was near, his voice stayed dim and distant. Looking around, he seemed to pause for a moment at her shoulder, and then took two steps ahead of her towards the house. When he turned back to her, his green eyes looked accusing. "Or is there something you just don't want me to see?"

Ginny simply stared back at him, having no immediate answer to _that_ particular question, and with one last harsh look, Harry turned his back on her and stalked up to the kitchen door. He didn't pause at its entrance, but the world seemed to shimmer around him, and there was the slightest hint of something hiding behind the shadows. Ginny's pulse raced, and fear tickled at her belly …

"No, wait!" she cried out, finally understanding, but it was too late, Harry had already taken his first step into the house. With a giant _lurch_, the world seemed to shift, and Ginny could have sworn she heard someone laughing as the vision swirled … and then they were suddenly standing in the Chamber of Secrets, the stone and mortar floor glaring back at them, the picture of tidiness and horror. A younger Ginny Weasley kneeled on the floor only a few feet ahead of them, caught with her back towards the door, scrubbing hard at the already shining stones.

Ginny was too shocked to move, and even Harry seemed surprised. He stood at her side again now, no longer up ahead. Though they made no noise, the girl who was Ginny seemed to sense them, for she stiffened in her place, put down her brush, and twisted back to look them each in the eye.

Ginny thought she was prepared for the sight, but even so, it twisted at her. The girl's face was Ginny's, her form was Ginny's, but her gaze was a cold, hard thing – her eyes so dark they seemed almost black, her body so thin she looked close to starvation. The once shining hair was limp, but startling red, and her face was twisted in hatred, her lips curled back into a sneer.

The girl made no noise, but Harry stiffened as if she had snarled. Eyes wide, he turned look at the real Ginny, as if to check this gaunt demon with the actual girl standing beside him. At his questioning look, Ginny could only nod. Her voice, oddly enough, was strong. Though it still frightened her, she had accepted this part of herself a long time ago …

"Yes," she told him, meeting his questing eyes briefly before looking back at the girl, "this was me. You didn't really see me that year, did you? You only saw me at the end, when I was finally free. Even later, when I lay dying on the Chamber floor, I was free. Finally free. But here –," and Ginny nodded towards the girl who watched them with such calculating eyes, "– here I was still fighting, but as you can see, the battle wasn't turning in my favour."

And against her own violation, Ginny's voice had twisted as she spoke; turned into the cold, angry pitch of a young girl caught in a web of lies she couldn't understand. Taking a deep breath, Ginny forced that part of her away, and turned her back on the tableau. Looking now towards Harry, she pierced him with her gaze, "I understand now – these are images, pictures of places I once thought were home. But it's a lie. I was no more at home here than I am now at the Burrow. It's more than a place, but it's not _me_. It's not where I keep what I am."

Harry stared back at her, his green eyes holding everything back, revealing for once none of his inner thoughts, "Where is, then?"

"Here."

And the world again shifted, and this time, when it settled, it somehow felt more real, more solid, then it ever had before. It wasn't a nice kind of real though; it was the hard bite of authenticity, the heavy feeling in your bones that told you that this was the truth, even if you didn't want it to be. Ginny knew without having to look that now, here, she was solid, and the thought did little to cheer her. Here there was no hiding from herself; and even worse, no hiding from Harry.

Beside her, obviously not meaning to, Harry gave a little gasp. It was more of a quick, indrawn breath really, but it did betray his suddenly surprise.

Together, side-by-side, Harry and Ginny stood before the cast-iron gates of an old, derelict house. A mansion, really, with doors and rooms that could take – would take – a lifetime to explore.

And even though she knew it to be the truth, Ginny still shivered at the sight. The house itself wasn't oppressing; in fact, if she had been asked to design her dream home, this just might be it. There was a wooden porch out front with a large front door and many windows that they could see. The house itself was crafted from wood and stone, with a wide base and two visible stories, plus a small attic on top. It was the – details – of the place that gave her the shivers, though. The iron gates, each pillar inscribed expertly with the detailed impression of a snake; the shuttered windows, kept closed by a set of rough-worked bars … there were weeds in the garden and the stone path itself was cracked. A hot, haunted wind blew in from a nearby wood, but it did little to warm this place. It looked neglected, rejected, and Ginny knew that there were things in this house, parts of herself, that she never wanted to face.

Still, Ginny thought as she squared her shoulders, this was what they came here to do, to see, and backing out now just because it wasn't pretty wasn't really an option.

She glanced back at Harry, who had seemed to recover himself and was casting his eyes around the ground. Ginny herself looked around at the stone path for a moment and remarked, "Well, I don't really know what 'recent passage' looks like, but the weeds aren't crushed and it doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while."

Harry nodded, glancing back down at the ground, before looking up and over to the house, "The gate – is it locked?"

Ginny frowned, "I'm not sure, but somehow I think so." Looking about her, Ginny realized that the path they were on led squarely to the gate. After taking a few steps towards it, Ginny realized how tall the gates really were. Each snake impression was twice the size of Hiss, and gave her the shivers the way her reptilian friend never did.

As she moved towards the gate, Ginny saw that there was indeed a pad-lock on it, and not only was it large and oppressive, plain except for some kind of detail worked in on the front, it left no room for a key.

Ginny sighed and turned back to Harry, not quite sure what to do now, when from the shadows of the weeds, just to her left off the stone path, a familiar voice called out, "Ginny?"

Ginny turned to see her father stepping out from behind the weeds; only they reached maybe to his ankles, and couldn't possibly have hid him. Ginny frowned at the sight; surely he could not have been caught in the spell too?

"Dad?" Ginny asked, and the figure smiled.

"Ginny," he said gladly, "You've come back."

It must not really be her father then, he looked to peaceful to be the man with so many stresses on him these days. It was probably an image from her unconscious mind, then … why, Ginny didn't know.

Cautious of the apparition now, Ginny asked, "What do you mean?"

Her dad, red hair gleaming, gestured towards the iron gates, and beyond them, to the house. "It's just that you've been so long away … we weren't sure you'd ever fully return."

"Mr. Weasley?" Harry's voice asked surprised from the path, and Ginny heard him walk up behind her. He steps seemed to echo loudly in this place, but she kept her attention focused on the speaker.

"What do you mean?" She asked her father, who had now turned to look at Harry, "Where have I been gone?"

The apparition refocused his attention onto her, "Oh you know, the usual. School, Hiss, boys … Tom Riddle," her father shrugged, "Just part of life, I guess. Still, it does get a little lonely."

Beside her, Harry frowned, "Tom Riddle? You mean Lord Voldemort … has he been here lately? And who's Hiss?"

Before Ginny could reply, the vision of her father turned back to him and said, "Ah, that Tom. Such a nice boy … at first. But then, like most men, he broke our heart. Tried to do some nasty things a while back, but he hasn't been around here in a while." He turned back to Ginny, "So you finally recognized the bad gnomes from the good?"

Ginny ignored the question, "So you're sure he hasn't been here within, say, the last several years?"

Her father shook his head, "Oh no, not here. Been rather quiet lately; like I said, you've been gone."

Ginny smiled at her father, "Don't worry, dad. It's taken me a while to get re-acquainted with myself, but I promise to visit more often." At the large grin on his face, Ginny couldn't help but laugh.

Turning back to Harry, Ginny smiled, relieved that the ordeal was finally over without her having to give away too much. "So," she said easily, "convinced?"

But Harry didn't return her grin. Instead, he glanced back at the forbearing house and stared into the closed windows for a moment before shaking his head. "How do I know you didn't plan that entire conversation? How do I know _now _that I can trust you with your family, with Ron and Hermione's life, any more than I could before? I've heard nothing, been giving no proof, that has changed that for me."

"But we've just talked with my mind! Surely you can see that? There's been no new activity; Voldemort hasn't been here in years!"

"But how do we know he didn't plant something in your mind the first time?" Harry shot back, "If you really are innocent as you say, how can you take that chance?!"

Ginny stared angrily at him, unwilling to give up what Hiss had told her, but determined not to let him any nearer to that house than she needed too. She believed what her friend had told her, and believed the apparition of her father too.

But Harry simply stared back at her, and after several moments with neither of them giving up, Ginny finally realized something shocking.

Harry wasn't just an angry, lashing teenager. He wasn't a knight in shining armour either. He was a man who had a destiny larger than she could comprehend, a destiny she had thought she understood because of a few words passed from ear to ear.

This man had the power, the strength and the determination to meet that destiny head-on. Suddenly, Ginny found herself feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort. He had no idea what he was up against.

Which didn't mean she was backing down. Harry's show of strength was just another reason why she couldn't let him run amuck into her innermost thoughts. There were secrets, knowledge, which she had to keep from him. Information she had garnered from Tom, information Harry could use – in a fit of impassioned youth – against those closest to him.

There had to be a way she could prove to him that she wasn't dangerous, without giving away those secrets.

Ginny closed her eyes. She felt Harry's surprise at her apparent back-down, but cast her thoughts away from him. It didn't matter; Harry didn't matter ... she let her mind calm, empty, as Hiss had said she'd need to in order to sense the people around her. Only now she wasn't trying to sense anyone else but herself … if that house was the visible picture of her mind, then there ought to be some way she could pierce it without having to step inside. If she could just figure out which rooms held the secrets she held dear, then they could travel safely through the house, without ever compromising her position, or her garnered knowledge …

… but as Ginny sought to pierce her mind, going deeper inside herself than she ever had before on her own in the real world, she found herself surprisingly blocked. It was the gates, she realized quickly, as her eyes blinked open. Harry's doubtful face met her gaze, and she turned quickly to face those wrought-iron snakes.

The gate, as it encircled the house, encircled her mind. It was a measure of protection, Ginny realized, a new addition that had been placed, unconsciously, after the horror of her first year at Hogwarts. It kept whoever did not belong in her mind out … but there had to be some way to get around it, some way to convince herself that she really was _herself_ …

Ginny walked cautiously towards the gate, encircling it again in her mind, and heard Harry following slowly from behind.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, still sounding angry.

"It's a wall," she explained him, not even realizing how calm and collected she sounded, indicating the gate. "It's new, I can't get past it … it must have been set up unconsciously, after Tom tried to break me."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go in!"

But Ginny shook her head, "No, you don't understand. It's protected … even I can't break it. There has to be some way around it, some path, but I don't understand …"

Harry growled angrily and strode up to the gate. Reaching out his hand, he placed it against the large pad-lock and shouting said, "Alright, enough of this! Come on then, open up!"

For a moment nothing happened, and then the pad-lock began to glow. It was a glow of deep, dark red – the colour of old blood – and it spread from the lock as Harry clutched at it, staining the iron, the snakes and the perimeter of the house.

And then Harry began to shake.

One moment he had looked angry, then worried, and angry again until finally, as the colour of blood spread to the rest of the gate, his face had widened in shock before pain descended upon him. His eyes were squeezed together, his teeth ground and his free hand clenched spasmodically at his side. He looked as if he wanted to scream, but could not spare the energy to do so …

Shaking herself free of the alarm that gripped her, Ginny rushed over to the gate and tried to look for what was paining him. Seeing nothing physical, she reached to his fingers, now white up to the knuckle, and tried to peel them back. But as her skin made contact with his own, a white/green/red flash blasted her, and Ginny once again felt herself falling …

_Hey All._

_Damn. That was a good chapter! I keep surprising myself I guess. Lol. I'd forgotten that they went to the "Burrow" and then the "Chamber" before the Mansion. And I thought I'd need to re-write a bit about the Mansion, but I really didn't. It seemed good to me._

_So, of course, I want to know what you think._

_Review review review!!!_


	9. 8 Secrets spilled

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

_Hey All!_

_Well so the story continues on … its exam time here in second year university, and writing is my escape from studying! (Which is odd, because I'm a really good student most of the time but have been having a hard time keeping away from my computer this year … I'm sure my readers are pleased, though!)_

_**Witch of Darkness** - hey, a new reader!! You don't get much more success with a story than that! Btw, **v.** cool name – are you an old fan fiction'er or was it just not yet taken? Thanks for the plot compliments, but do you really think it doesn't stray that far from the canon? I was kinda worried actually about how much it was … but of course we don't see Ginny during most of the series, so I can kind of tuck her in! _

_**Jcd1013** – where are you?? I need reviews, lots of reviews!!! (I'm just hoping I haven't lost you as a reader, since I really enjoy your comments! When you mentioned Hiss I realize I had forgotten about him all last chapter and had to go back and write him in! Poor Hiss … I'm sssssorry!)_

_**Tara** – has been lost too ... _

_**Bells** – of course, my favourite (sorry all you other guys!) reviewer … if anyone else had read the **Dark Jewels Trilogy**__and wants to read a **really cool story** then just hit search and type in **Bells** because she's got a really good one!!! Not the usual characters, instead she explores the world of Terreille with a fascinating new cast! _

_**CiA1, Comet Moon, Angie, and Lady of the Library** – have I lost you all too?_

"_I feel like I'm the last one on the battle field, looking around and wondering, where did everybody go?"_

**Chapter Eight**

This time when they hit the ground, Ginny felt her teeth rattle. Carefully, bending first her knees and then her head, Ginny rose from her crouched position, not realizing until she felt a jerk from the side that she was still holding on to Harry's hand. Opening her eyes, Ginny looked down to find the Boy Who Lived clutching onto her wrist with a shocked expression, still crouched with his knees bent on the ground, staring at the fingers that were visible beneath his hand.

Ginny felt a wave of anger roll over her, "You just _have_ to run into everything, don't you! The gate was locked, I was _trying_ to get around it and you just had to run up and start beating against the walls! Don't you ever take the time to _think_?!"

Harry paused in his crouched position, before slowly raising his head and letting go of her arm. Rising to his full height, which towered over her own, Harry glared back at her with ghost-filled eyes, "_I_ have a responsibility to make sure that _you_ aren't a threat and I –"

"No you don't!" Ginny shouted, interrupting his tirade. Harry glowered, but she refused to back down, "In fact – you weren't told to go anywhere _near_ me! You were simply warned – _warned_ – not given any Auror-imposed _duty_! If Dumbledore had wanted me checked out, he would have told Tonks, or Mundungus, or Moody! Certainly not some rugged sixth-year with too much confidence in –"

"Ron and Hermione are my _friends_ and I have a responsibility –"

"And they're my _family_ and if I was at all unsure in my own trustworthiness –"

"I can't _trust_ your supposed trustworthiness! Dumbledore –"

"- told _me_ that I was no longer any th–"

"- and he told _me_ that you wer– "

"QUIET DOWN boy!"

Ginny and Harry, now standing nose-to-nose, yelling at full volume, never saw the bear-like bulk of the man who had walked into wherever they now stood, but his shout – a bitter, fed-up sounding shout – shocked them into still silence. As one, they turned to look at the interruption.

To discover that he wasn't shouting at them at all. In fact, it appeared as if he couldn't even see them, because standing in this room – a plush living room with sparkling clean carpets and a distinctly muggle look – was another boy, young, perhaps six or seven, and he was staring at the bear-man with barely concealed fright.

Ginny didn't even notice Harry staring in shock next to her; she was too busy studying the man, the room and the scenario with a building sense of apprehension … _oh Merlin_ ...

"This is impossible."

The words were spoken in tandem, and Ginny and Harry whirled to face one another, even as the boy in front of them began to explain in a shaky voice exactly _why_ he was holding his Uncle Vernon's dirty briefcase and exactly _how_ it had come to be there …

But Harry and Ginny ignored them, and instead stared at each other, each shocked beyond words.

Finally Ginny took a deep breath, "Okay … um, you go first. Why, why is this impossible?"

Harry looked back at the scene; it wasn't going well for the boy. The boy he knew so well …

"That's … that's me." He told Ginny, registering the new shock in her eyes but misunderstanding its importance. "Uncle Vernon, well, he hated anything do to with magic and, and I had the misfortune to wish that he never came back from work one day. Instead of Uncle Vernon never coming back, his briefcase never did – though he swore again and again that he could not have forgotten it. I found it later that day, in a garbage dump when I was cleaning lunch, and as I brought it back to the house he found me …"

Ginny was still staring at him, incredulous, and Harry angrily looked back, "Look, you know I didn't have a pleasant childhood, okay? Now you've just seen a piece of it – go on, laugh!" He shook his head, "What I can't understand is why we're in _my_ memories when we're supposed to be in yours …"

But Ginny wasn't even listening. A frightened, faraway look had come into her eyes, and as Harry stared at her, looking unsure whether to be concerned or upset, she let out a bark of a laugh.

"Oh, Merlin, why? Why did it have to be me? Did I wish too hard? No wonder you cursed me for that …" Her tone was half tears and half laughter, and now Harry wasn't sure at all what to do. What _was _it with women and crying …

But Ginny didn't cry. Instead she blinked back the thoughts and turned to Harry with a smile sardonic smile on her lips, wondering how she was going to explain. "But you see," she told him carefully, "these aren't just _your _memories, they're also _mine_."

Harry stared at her, incredulous, and then felt suddenly dizzy. Beyond them, Uncle Vernon had left the scene and poor young Harry was fetching a rag from the kitchen, intend only upon cleaning the now dirty floor and the fact that he was receiving no dinner tonight …

"I had – dreams – when I was young." Ginny explained to him, watching the scene, "They were odd, discontinuous, but I managed later to put them together. I never remembered much, just a flash or two here and there, but I was always in a house – like this one – and someone was often yelling at me. I never knew their names, or who the were, only that I didn't like them and they didn't like me, but that I had to do what I was told or I would be punished. When I woke up after one of those dreams I'd be famished, usually because in them I was sent to bed with no supper, though I still had to cook it for the others …"

Her eyes had drifted from Harry's as she talked, but now they came stabbing back at his, "But I _never_ told _anyone_ about those dreams. Not even Ron, and we were close. They just didn't seem that important, and I never even _suspected_ that they were real! Once my father brought home a muggle invention, and though I'd never handled a vacuum before in my life, I knew how to handle one. I remembered my dreams then, and when he asked me how I knew, I said I had seen it once in a muggle movie – I sometimes watched them at Luna's place. But I never …" she glanced back at the young Harry, now scrubbing at the carpet, " … never even had an inkling that I was _you_ …"

Harry stood still, shocked, and didn't know what to say. Ginny watched as he cast his eyes about. He looked as if he wanted to sit down, to think, but wasn't sure if he would pass right through the furniture. She knew he was insubstantial now because they were in _his_ memories, though they were also _hers_ and nothing made sense but then again, when did it ever really, in her life …

Finally he spoke. His voice started slightly shaky, but then it held.

"Dumbledore told me once, back in third year, that when you save the life of a wizard, it creates a bond between you. I was thinking of Wormtail at the time –" and suddenly he paused, and looked back at Ginny, as if suddenly realizing that he had never told her about his third year, or Wormtail or anything … but Ginny only nodded.

"Sirius told me;" she explained, "back when we spent the summer together in Headquarters'."

Harry nodded in understanding, his mind drawn away for a moment, before quietly returning. Now when he spoke, his voice again carried the weight of his godfather's death, "Yeah, well he – Dumbledore – said that because I saved Wormtail, because S-Sirius and Moony were going to kill him, that it made some kind of bond. But, now that I think about it, I kind of saved your life too, in the Chamber in second year, and so, maybe …"

But Ginny shook her head, then stopped, thought a moment, and sighed. "I just – I don't know. I had these dreams back when I was younger, way before I ever went to Hogwarts, so long ago that I had half forgotten about them by the time I did. But then .. well Hermione's TimeTurner just shows that time to a wizard is an odd thing. You had a connection with me, and a connection with Tom; and I have a connection with you _and_ a connection with Tom … maybe, somehow, it all got mixed around?"

Her expression was hopeful, and Harry couldn't to help but try and smile. "Maybe. Things definitely are getting complicated though, aren't they?"

Ginny hesitated, before returning his unexpected smile. She looked around then, and beside her he followed suit.

"Well, as educational as this escapade was, perhaps we should get back to the journey at hand …"

Harry nodded, and looked back down at himself. "We got here because I got stuck and you helped me. Since we're in my memories but your mind, maybe … well maybe if we just think hard enough, we can get ourselves out?"

Ginny shrugged, "Sounds like it'll work. Hey – wait, Harry," she asked, hit by sudden inspiration, "If we've got some kind of connection, that can't you just _sense_ if I'm possessed?"

"Sense?" He frowned, "I don't know … how would I do that?"

Ginny considered, "Well – look at it this way. This little scenario," and she indicated Uncle Vernon's living room, "demonstrates that we do have some access into each other's mind. Now, obviously to get this memory, I had to go somehow digging around in yours. And I know that you've had some practice digging around in others …" she trailed off, for Harry suddenly had an angry look.

He seemed to master his emotions though, for when she stopped, his simply shook his head. "I know what you're going to say, and I'm saying no. I don't know how to use Legilimens at all. I thought I was doing it right all last year, I thought I was learning …" he clenched his fists, but shook himself free of those memories, "No. We're going back to the mansion, and we're looking the manual way …"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, we're already in my head anyways; we used a spell to get here, not Legilimens! But there's a way, a … well a friend of mine … taught me this thing, it's like a meditation, and I didn't think it would work since we're both human, but if we've already got a connection …"

Harry stared at her, "Both human? I don't understand; who's this friend of yours anyways …?"

Ginny shook her head, trying to make the movement casual. Damn her slipping tongue! "It's not important. But what _is_ important is that this might just be possible. It would mean leaving here, going back to our bodies … I could tell you what to do, it sounds really simple, and …"

But Harry again shook his head, "But then we have to leave, and what – come back tomorrow night if this new plan doesn't work? It's too risky, we don't even know when the trigger could go off and –"

But Ginny was urgent now, "Listen Harry – we don't even know how long we've been down here. We don't know how to get into the mansion, or past your memories, or anything! We've tried to do what we could, but it wasn't good enough! What if its morning already? What if mum's calling us for breakfast; when we don't come down their going to be worried, and then come looking for us … what do you think happens if they try to break the connection? What are they going to do? Call Dumbledore? How much trouble are you going to be in when he finds out what you've done, gone against his orders? You _know_ I'm not dangerous now. If I have some hidden compulsion, well … keep an eye on me. I'll hate it, but I won't argue. Dumbledore's supposed to come re-check the defenses in a few weeks. We can, we can tell him them – just the two of us, with neither of us obviously harmed – what happened, and he can maybe help. Lead us though, or tell me how to break into my own mind at least! We know more now than we did before, so let's get out of here before someone realizes that we're gone!"

Ginny paused, breathless. Her argument had had an effect on him, that much she could see. The thoughtful look was back in his eye, and she saw him once glance out the window, as if it could somehow tell him what time it was back in the 'real' world. He still didn't look convinced, but she thought the push about time and its consequences had won him over.

Finally, Harry sighed and looked back at the room in which they still stood, where the younger version of himself had finished cleaning the carpet as best he could, and was now in the kitchen fixing everyone else dinner. He glanced towards the kitchen once, and then looked back towards Ginny.

"We'll leave," he agreed, "but you are right – I'm not taking any chances. Even if you don't realize it, Voldemort could still have planted some kind of trigger in your mind. Our difficulty getting inside might just prove that. Your mum mentioned to me that you were in a coma before you woke up after … well after the Department of Mysteries. I don't know what Voldemort might have done to you, and I'm quicker to trust Dumbledore on this than you."

Ginny blinked at him, "You knew I was in a coma …?"

But Harry shook his head, "Look, you're mum just mentioned it on the side, when Moody said you looked 'better'. I was listening to see if Dumbledore had apparently told him anything, but couldn't tell from the question."

Ginny nodded, more to herself than to him, "I thought mum was being a little over-protective …"

"But if I see anything suspicious," Harry continued, the hard edge back in his voice, "anything at all, then I'm going straight to Moody, you understand? Wormtail managed to fool his best friends for years into thinking he was trustworthy, and I'm not about to let the same betrayal happen here."

Despite his dire words, Ginny couldn't help but grin, "So, Harry, you consider me one of your best friends?"

He scoffed, "Hardly," he said briskly, "Now come on, let's get out of here."

Ginny nodded, determined not to let on how much those words had hurt her. So, in the end, nothing had really changed …

Speaking out loud, Ginny said, "So, so what I think we do is this: picture your body, still just as it is right where you left it. Remember the feel of yourself, and try and kind of push your mind back into that picture …"

As she spoke, Ginny tried to do just that. She remembered her red hair, the feel of her own skin, her bedroom, Hiss sitting comfortably on her calf, the way her bed felt soft and sleepy in the moonlight …

… and she found herself traveling as if back up through her memories, and they were her memories again, and not Harry's …

… and there was her mother, standing over the stove, teaching her just what spices were needed to make the perfect soup …

… and there was Bill, a younger Bill, and he was playing Quidditch in the backyard with Charlie, as Ginny watched from an upstairs window …

… Ron was running with the gnomes around the yard … Hermione was smiling, still in pain over her injury … Harry was staring at her, an accusing look in his eye …

… and then there was her bedroom, a blinking pair of green eyes, the soft glow of dawn streaming in from the open window, and Hiss, still on her calf, rubbing himself awake …

Ginny blinked her own eyes, then reached up with a free hand and rubbed the sleep out from inside the cracks of them. She felt rested, refreshed, and startled looked over at Harry as he seemed to wake, and rubbed a little at his eyes.

"It wasn't, it wasn't a dream, was it?" She asked herself, and hadn't even realized she'd spoke out loud until Harry beside her shook his head.

"No, the house, the image of your father … I remember it too." And then he looked up, as if surprised. Staring at her, Harry looked down at himself, and said, "I feel … different." He looked up, suspicious, "did you do anything to me?"

Ginny scoffed, "Please, what could I do?" She shook her head, "But I don't know … I feel … different, too …"

And she did. There was a strange humming she could feel rather than hear. It was coming from all around her, but as she concentrated, it seemed to extend in a line from her to Harry, and it glowed, reverberated a little, in the air between them.

Ginny blinked, suddenly understanding. "It's the connection we share," she said, startled, "– because you saved my life. It's – well it's _real_."

Harry met her surprised glance. "It's probably just stronger because we've actually realized it. It kind of makes sense then, at least a little, why you would have a few of my memories." He paused, seemed to think again, before admitting, at least grudgingly, "You don't … feel … possessed."

Ginny grinned lopsidedly, "Thanks."

There was a knock at the door, "Hey – Ginny, breakfast!"

Harry grinned at the door, and then walked up to it asked, "Just you there Ron?"

There was a slight pause, "What?"

Harry looked back to her, and Ginny nodded. Turning the knob, Harry opened the door to see a very confused looking Ronald Weasley. Harry gestured him inside the room, and looking around, he slowly entered.

Harry made sure to close the door behind him before he said, "We did the spell last night, the one I told you about? Well we didn't get very far, but I don't think Ginny's actively possessed. I'm going to keep an eye on her though, especially around Hermione, so you don't have to worry."

But instead of looking relieved, Ron looked even more confuggled. Staring at Harry, he looked back at Ginny, still sitting on her bed, and then back at Harry. At his slightly worried look, Ginny also spoke.

"Look Ron, everything's okay. There's nothing really wrong with me, we're just being cautious."

But Ron stopped and stared at her, his eyes as wide as Quidditch hoops, his mouth twitching now slightly.

With a growl he seemed to make up his mind, and turning back to Harry he caught him in a suddenly tense grip and pulled him to the floor, vaulting over him to hold his head back in a choke-hold, just as Charlie had once taught him. Spitting angrily, Ron snarled, "What have you done to my sister?!"

Ginny sat still, shocked out of her mind. Scrambling from the bed, she tried to pull Ron off of Harry, hissing to him, "What the bloody hell is wrong with you? Get off him!"

But Ron simply shook her off, and as Ginny fell back onto the bed, she realized how grown-up and strong her brother had become. Still holding a choke-grip on Harry, Ron demanded, "Come on! Who's gotten into Harry's head now? If this is Voldemort then I'm about to kick your ass for everything you've put my family though! Let go of Harry, and give me back my sister!"

Ginny paused, shocked, not only had Ron finally said Tom's new name, but he had _threatened_ him too! From the floor, his voice muffled and gasping, Harry said, "Ron, it's me. Ron – it's just me!"

And as he spoke, Ginny could hear something odd in the words. They sounded different … easier, somehow, on the ears …

But before she could place it, Ron slowly released his best friend, rolling smoothly off him and even helping him up. Looking at him as if thankful he had Harry back, Ron slapped him on the shoulders and asked quietly, "You okay mate? He do any damage?"

But Harry was staring at him incredulously, "What the bloody hell was that for? Voldemort wasn't here at all, it was me the whole time! Bloody hell Ron, I know you're protective about your sister and all, but Ginny and I didn't _do_ anything, we just tried out the spell …"

But Ron cut him off, looking back at Ginny, who nodded wide-eyed, and then back to Harry before he spoke.

"Bugger that," he said, incredulous, "There is something passing strange going on here. If you are you –" he looked back to Ginny, " – and you are _you_." He glanced at Harry, "Then why were you speaking in _parseltongue_, and how come she could too?"

And as he turned back to Ginny, who's eyes were now larger than Quidditch Hoops, Harry turned with him and as both men stared at her, disbelieving, Hiss poked his head out from under her pant leg and hissed,

"Well, I guessss the cat'ssss out of the bag …"

_Hey All,_

_AHAHAHAHA!! Love Ron's reaction. Pat's self on back.. Snicker._

_Well, once again I was planning to change lots and … didn't. sigh. Again – did I need to? I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the tad of Harry's POV that I had there, but it was already written and actually seemed to kinda flow … and I kinda liked it. _

_Tell me what you think. Please?_

_Feed the Button!!!! FEEEEEEEEEDDDD_


	10. 9 Realization and Defense

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter … I merely worship JKR!**

**Extra note: The "Guardian Bond" thing mentioned is taken from "Harry Potter and the Phoenix's Flight" by _The Velvet Ghost_. She is a wonderful writer with a wonderful trilogy in the Phoenix's Flight series. Please check her out on !!! **

_Extra, extra note: My apologizes for taking so long to update!! So many people I was afraid I had lost have reviewed back to tell me they were still reading, and that meant a **lot** to me. This chapter just took so long because so many different ideas come together, it was hard to write. And my initial grammar – as my beta **Bells** pointed out – needed a little time to fix. So please enjoy, I'll list my comments in regards to reviewer's questions at the end of the chapter this time._

**Chapter Nine**

There was a moment of startled silence.

Ginny stared at Hiss in frank disbelief. Ron gaped at Ginny with something akin to betrayal. Harry stepped back into the room as if to watch all three of them, right hand straying nervously near to the wand still lying on Ginny's bed.

Hiss, on the other hand, seemed perfectly comfortable with all the attention he had generated. With a snake's dignified grace he carefully slipped himself away from Ginny's ankle and slithered onto the bed. Holding himself almost at eye-level, Hiss did nothing but blink serene snake-eyes at anyone who caught his glance.

Ron fish-mouthed, Harry stared and Ginny's waited, holding her breath. She was preparing herself for the onslaught, but it never came.

Because before anyone could speak, before any questions could be asked or answers given, there was a quiet knock at the door.

"Ginny, Harry? Are you still in here?" Hermione's voice came from behind the closed door. Ron and Harry whipped around to face the door, while Ginny took a moment to think and calm herself. Making sure she was speaking in English, Ginny stood up from the bed and called out.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked as she opened the door and took a step carefully into the room. Ron was standing in front of her, Harry near the middle of the bed and Ginny closer to the end. Hiss was still sitting on the covers, but at the movement from the door he twisted his head around to peer at Hermione.

To find that his vision was blocked by Ron, who stood just inside the door as Hermione stood just outside of it. In a flash of movement, for which Ginny would always blame Hiss's insatiable curiosity and Harry's ultra-quick reflexes – Hiss drew himself to his full height and snaked towards Hermione, while Harry saw the sudden threat from the corner of his eye and lurched towards his wand.

Ron, startled, leapt backwards from the bed. Unfortunately, he leaped straight into Hermione, who was currently balanced on one foot as she stepped into the room. Harry, going for the wand that lay on Ginny's bed, bumped side-ways into Ron just as he hit Hermione and their combined momentums threw Hermione from the room and backwards into the hallway. Losing her balance in the hallway, Hermione teetered for one precious moment, before falling – head-first – down the stairs.

There was a crash from the kitchen, a scream from Mrs. Weasley, and a cry from Ron as he rushed down after Hermione.

But Ginny barely heard any of this.

She had been caught instead by the quickness of Harry's lunge, watched as he reached towards his waiting wand, and knew that with reflexes honed by Quidditch and fighting death-eaters Hiss wouldn't be able to escape the coming curse.

So with no thought to her own personal safety, or the immediate consequences of her actions, Ginny leapt towards her reptilian friend and shielded him from the blast that came milliseconds later from Harry's wand.

There was a startled gasp from Harry as Ginny took the full brunt of his spell and a reptilian curse from Hiss as Ginny felt herself falling … _falling …_

… _she was crossing the old, rotten bridge from her dream, was even two or three planks from the edge of the ravine, when the raging fire on the other cliff proved it's strength too great … with a sickening feeling of terror Ginny watched as the bridge ahead of her caught fire with a mighty roar. The fire seemed to crackle and hiss as it snaked towards her, changing from red and proud to green and slimy. Ginny, knowing it would be death to let the fire reach her, leapt backwards towards the cliff-face behind her. Yet the fire was too fast and the distance too great. With a cry, Ginny felt herself falling … falling … she looked up …_

… _up to see that a piece of the red burning rope was falling down towards her, approaching faster than she was falling. Ginny, in a desperate move, reached up and grasped the burning rope, feeling as she did so the fire as it raked across her skin … it burned, and Ginny burned, but the rope somehow held …_

… And Ginny woke to see Harry's face, scrunched in concentration, come blurredly back into focus. For an instant, there was a sickening feeling of terror in her heart. Ginny closed her eyes and concentrated on the floor beneath her. It was soft and warm, not at all like the Chamber of Secrets, and with this comforting realization Ginny allowed her eyes to open and her head to look around.

She was lying on the floor of her bedroom while Harry kneeled above her. He was whispering harshly in Parseltongue and spinning in his right hand some kind of complex spell with his wand. Hiss sat beside him on the floor, and was speaking to Harry softly, as if directing whatever spell he was performing.

Ginny blinked her eyes and shook her head to try and clear it; there was fuzz in her brain and a burning sensation on her left arm. Unsure how either had gotten there, Ginny struggled to recall the past few minutes. She knew that Harry had pointed his wand at Hiss and that she had jumped in the way. Ginny turned to look at her friend and wasn't comforted by what she saw. Hiss looked concerned, and even slightly afraid. His tail was spinning in slow counter-clockwise circles on the floor, an ancient motion against something unwanted – a banishment charm if there ever was one.

Turning her attention to Harry, Ginny could understand Hiss's concern. Harry did not look good at all. His face was pale and slightly green, his brows still furrowed together, and his entire body tense. Ginny, from her place on the floor, tried to see what might be wrong, but found herself distracted by some kind of commotion in the kitchen. Mundungus and Ron were shouting while mum's reaching voice yelled at them both to be quiet.

Ginny wanted to ask what was happening, but neither Hiss nor Harry was in any condition to answer her. Thinking hard, Ginny had a brief memory of Hermione being forcefully, though accidentally, ejected from her room and a scream from Ron as she fell down the stairs …

Forgetting where she was, Ginny asked, "Hermione, is she—"

But Harry's eyes were still tightly shut in concentration above her, Hiss was still speaking softly, and the noises from downstairs had stopped. Ginny lay still, trying not to disrupt whatever it was that Harry and Hiss were doing, but anxious to make sure that Hermione was alright.

Lying beneath them on the floor Ginny tried to understand what Hiss was whispering to Harry, or even he to himself, but without luck. Both men were speaking too softly, and the dialect they uttered sounded somehow different from normal Parseltongue. Wondering what had happened to Hermione, Ginny just hoped the spell they were uttering wasn't for her benefit – she felt fine except for a slight burning on the left arm.

Eventually – though the entire situation lasted perhaps twenty seconds – Ginny heard Hiss sigh and watched as his tail settled to the floor. Above her, Harry blinked green eyes open and dropped his wand, looking around unsure at the world he had come back too. Scrambling up from the floor, Ginny didn't pause to look back at either of them before running out of her room and down the stairs.

The kitchen was a mess, mum had obviously been serving breakfast when Hermione had fallen down the stairs; eggs and coffee were spilt all over the table and an overturned coffee cup lay on one of the chairs. Dad was waiting in the middle of the floor, his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking very upset and very concerned.

Ginny slid to a halt before those crossed arms, feeling fear begin to creep up her spine. Her father would never look this angry unless …

Her voice breaking, Ginny dared to look into those so often kind, understanding eyes to ask, "Is she going to be okay?"

Behind her, Ginny heard Harry pounding down the stairs but never turned to look as he slid to a halt a half step behind her. Instead, Ginny stared hopefully up at her father while he looked up from her face, behind her over to Harry, and then to the fireplace where a small trickle of floo powder could be seen.

"We don't know." He finally replied, his voice hard, "She hit the ground pretty hard. Ron went with your mother and the twin's to St. Munglos." His unreadable gaze looked back towards Ginny, "What happened?"

"Uhh …"

"Ron was startled, sir." Harry spoke up from behind her, his voice steady and firm, "Hermione had just come into Ginny's room when Ron stepped back and accidentally pushed her."

Ginny held her breath, not even bothering to ask herself why Harry was explaining this for her, until Arthur Weasley sighed, uncrossed his arms and ran his fingers through his shock of red hair. His anger seemed to drain away, emphasizing every age line and wrinkle. Glancing once again towards the fireplace, he looked back towards Harry and Ginny.

"Look, I know you two are … getting older; but please consider your brother in this, Ginny, he's very protective of you."

Ginny stared at her father, her mouth falling open when she realized what he was implying. Feeling a blush start to creep into her cheeks, Ginny stepped back and shook her head, just as Harry stuttered, "No, Mr. Weasley we didn't … I mean, we weren't …"

"… and please remember," her father continued as if Harry hadn't spoke or Ginny wasn't still shaking her head in protest, "that Hermione is still injured and only slowly recovering. She pushed herself too hard yesterday and Tonks said she was restless all night. I'm sure she'll be fine but please – think next time?"

And with that Ginny watched as her father turned and walked over to the garden door, stepped outside and put out a hand out to forestall Mad-Eye Moody's rush towards the house. Closing the gate behind him, Ginny could hear him faintly explaining the situation …

By the time Ginny had mustered up enough courage to turn around and face Harry, the older boy had already darted back up the stairs and faintly, from some level overhead, she could hear a door being slammed.

Sighing to herself, Ginny got busy fixing up the kitchen. Her fingers automatically picked up and cleaned the various plates and coffee mugs, scrubbed down the table and even swept the floor. It was fortunate her hands knew how to do these tasks by instinct, for Ginny's mind was so completely exhausted from her recent out-pouring of secrets that she somehow felt like an exhibitionist.

It was much easier to clean up split coffee, put away dried dishes and attend to the daily needs of the Weasley kitchen instead of wondering about what had happened with the Boy Who Lived To Make Her Life Miserable. Eventually – possibly quite soon – Ginny was going to have to sit down and sort everything out in her head, but this wasn't the time to do it.

It would be so much easier, so much simpler, to just run away. To take Hiss with her and go. She almost at legal wizarding age, and Ginny knew that the snakes would protect her. There were many of them if not in England, than in other places of the world. She could live almost as Charlie did with his dragons, only better, because she could understand snakes in a way Charlie could never understand dragons.

But still … there was Hogwarts, her family and no matter how much she wanted to deny it – Harry. Ginny didn't think, being completely honest with herself, she could ever truly run away from him. No matter where she went, she would always carry a piece of him with her, whether in anger or some other emotion, Ginny didn't know. And now with this strange bond that they shared … Ginny sighed. No. She was stuck here, no matter how much she might not want to be.

Thinking of Hiss, Ginny paused in her cleaning and wondered where he might be. She knew from the slightly featherweight feeling of her ankle, so used to his extra weight, that he hadn't re-climbed onto his usual perch. Ginny couldn't decide if this was a welcome or disheartening thing. She was concerned about her friend, and curious about what had happened between him and Harry after she had gotten in the way of Harry's spell. Of course, Ginny knew that information was not for Hiss to explain to her. If she wanted to find out what had really happened, she'd have to ask Harry herself.

That in itself was not a welcoming thought. In fact, Ginny had every intention of ignoring the Boy Who Lived _In Her House_ To Make Her Miserable for the rest of the week. Too much had happened between them; his distrust of her loyalties, her strange memories of his childhood, and this … very odd … connection they seemed to share. Though it seemed to make sense, from what Sirius had told her about Wormtail and Harry, and what Harry had explained to her himself … there was a nagging feeling in her gut – a this-isn't-quite-right kind-of feeling that she had ignored once before in her life, to the detriment of all.

Still, Ginny knew herself too tired to debate these things with herself at this moment. Usually she could go a night without sleep, she'd had to do it often enough, but the morning's adventures had zapped her already dimmed resources and Ginny wanted to do nothing more than crawl back into bed and sleep.

So when Mad-Eye Moody entered the kitchen some ten minutes later, just as she was finished cleaning up the kitchen, Ginny made a bee-line to the stairs. Racing up them two at a time, she quickly ducked into her room and closed the door behind her, drowning out the sound of her name being called from below.

Her bed looked deliciously inviting, but still Ginny gave the room a broad sweep with her eyes. It appeared empty, and Ginny frowned. Hiss was no where in sight. No matter, her reptilian friend might be anywhere by now, and Ginny hadn't yet decided whether to be grateful or angry at him now that her terrible secret was public knowledge. Or would be once Ron put the two ends of the wand together.

Falling back on top of her covers, curling herself into a little ball and trying to forget that the rest of the world existed, Ginny Weasley fell into a long, deep sleep …

… Only to awaken several hours later at the sudden sound of people on the ground floor. Asleep on her bed, Ginny stirred restlessly, and only the subconscious reminder that Hermione might be home drove her fully awake.

It didn't take her long to remember why she had fallen asleep in her bed or before nightfall. Quickly, Ginny pulled her bright red hair back into a ponytail, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and rose to open her door.

Just in time to see Ron walking carefully past it, one arm supporting Hermione's hand and the other wrapped protectively around her waist. At the motion from her door, her youngest brother turned his head cautiously in her direction and frowned at the sight of her. Before Ginny had a chance to say anything Ron had tightened his hold on Hermione and was already starting up the next staircase. Ginny tried to get a good look at her friend, but Hermione appeared to need all her concentration to navigate the simple staircase, and Ginny couldn't even catch her eye.

Her heart sinking, Ginny consoled herself with the knowledge that Hermione appeared to be fine, though tired. She felt further relieved when Harry's voice could be heard from the upstairs landing, only to be answered by the slamming of a door.

Obviously, Ron was angry at both of them. This wasn't really justified, since it was Ginny who had lied to him, but still it made her feel better.

Of course, just because he was angry didn't mean she wasn't going to go see how Hermione was. Deciding to give the couple a few moments, Ginny closed her bedroom door behind her and went to the bathroom to fresh up first. Once she was sure that Ron had enough time to tuck Hermione comfortably in bed, Ginny quickly ran up the stairs to the next floor of the Burrow. At the top of the landing she saw that Ron had apparently taken Hermione back to Percy's room, and had indeed closed the door behind him.

Undaunted, Ginny tried to handle only to find it was locked. Pounding on the door she called out, "Open up Ron! I want to see Hermione too!"

"It's no use," Harry's voice spoke from behind her, oddly – maddeningly – calm, "he's mad at both of us. I've seen Ron angry; he probably won't talk to us for days."

Ginny turned to see Harry standing behind the banister of the stairway. "Oh so now _you're _the expert on _my_ brother?" She threw him a dirty look. Harry only shrugged, and the movement seemed to say: Prove me wrong.

Ginny snorted and turned back to the door. Personally she had her own doubts, especially since Hermione had been in potential danger, but now that it was a challenge, she pounded again on the door. "I mean it Ron, open up! I want to talk to Hermione!"

"Well maybe she doesn't want to talk to you!" Came Ron's angry reply. Ginny turned to Harry with a smug grin, but he only raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to _either_ of you, did you think of that!" Ron was still shouting.

"Honestly!" Came Hermione's indignant, though tired-sounding, reply, "_I_ want to talk to each of them just fine, it's _you_ who has the problem here!"

"Hermione! Those two _lied_ to us –"

But Hermione quickly cut him short, "And maybe now they're here to explain. So open the door and –"

But Ron just snorted, "Oh, yeah, _now_ they're here. Now after you got hurt, after …" He trailed off.

This time, Ginny couldn't hear Hermione's reply. It was softly spoken but firm, and surely enough after a minute or two there was a scraping at the door, which opened a moment later to reveal a grumpy looking Ronald Weasley. Ginny looked back to see that Harry's mask of indifference had slipped, and that he looked as concerned as she felt. Turning back to Ron, Ginny held her head high while he gave them both a good, hard look, as if daring them to say anything, before opening the door wide enough to let them through.

"Now shut that behind you, I'm sure Ginny doesn't want anyone else to hear." The bushy-haired girl looked the sudden picture of Professor McGonagall, stern and commanding even while tucked into the bed. "Actually here …" she continued, pulling her wand from her robe pocket. Mumbling a slight incantation, Hermione pointed it at the door. A thin stream of yellow light shot out from the end of her wand and encircled the room.

"There." Hermione said, sounding pleased though even more exhausted than she had before, "Now it's sound-proofed too."

Ginny turned back from the slightly-shimmering door and shivered a little as the small sounds emanating from the kitchen vanished. Sometimes it was scary when she realized just how gifted Hermione was. That was a seventh-year spell, at _least_.

Not that anyone would know it to look at her, especially now. Hermione, having exerted herself, was lying back in the bed, her eyes pale and tired, and Ron hurried to pull the covers up over her. Ginny felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over her as she watched Hermione turn to her brother and smile her thanks, still trying to catch her breath. Her friend looked sick; there was a tense line around her eyes that indicated she was fighting off pain, and her bushy hair was limp against the pillow. Yet, there was a little colour back in her cheeks and she must not be as bad as she looked for the med-witches to have let her go so easily. But maybe Ron had a point, not letting them in. Her friend didn't look so good …

Suddenly nervous, Ginny gave voice to her fears, "Um, Hermione … look we can talk later, if you like. I mean … when you're feeling better. It's nothing that can't wai—"

"Oh no!" Ron spoke up from beside Hermione's bed, "Not when you've blustered your way in are you just going to run off!"

"– I didn't realize that she—"

"—she's _fine _–"

"Look, Ron, maybe Ginny's right –"

"Would everyone please stop talking like I'm an invalid?" Hermione's voice summoned a little of its old strength, and the group stopped arguing to look back at her. Hermione's lips were pressed in a straight line and shaking her head she shot them each a glare. "Ginny it's not your fault that I fell and Ron it's not your fault that I got sick in the first place! I'm going to be fine, but I'm not going to be happy if I don't hear what has been going on!"

This silenced the group. Disgruntled, Ron grumbled from his seat beside the bed, something about fuss and family, but no one paid him mind. Instead Harry and Hermione turned expectantly to Ginny, who flushed a deep scarlet. Taking a deep breath, determined to defend herself against the coming onslaught, Ginny said firmly but quietly, "I'm a Parselmouth."

But there was no expected gasp of surprise. Ron must have already told her, Ginny realized. Or maybe not, because Hermione simply raised her eyebrows and stared at her friend. After a moment or so had passed, the older girl spoke out-loud to no one in particular, "Well, that explains a lot."

It was Harry who asked the expected question, his voice still sounding annoyingly calm, "How long?"

Ginny first shrugged, but then spoke, "Three years, at least."

"From Voldemort?" Hermione asked.

Ginny could only nod.

In his corner, Ron erupted, "What I can't understand is why you didn't tell us this years ago!"

Ginny turned to him, "Honestly Ron, what would be the point?" she scoffed, "You saw what happened to Harry, how the school hated him! They called him the heir to Salazar Slytherin!" She dropped her gaze, "Not … not many of the students even know it was me down there. They know that a student had been taken, but only you and Harry found out who it was. If suddenly I could speak Parseltongue …" Ginny shook her head, "It'd be all around school; I don't want that."

"But what about us, what about your _family_," Ron pressed, "surely we deserve –"

"Deserve what, Ron?! Deserve to _know_; deserve to be told the _truth_?" Ginny shot back at him. When he didn't appear to understand, she laughed coldly.

"Oh please. Do you know the number of times I've had to guess what has been going on? Do you know how I found out about Sirius, Ron? Harry? About Wormtail? Professor Lupin had to tell me! And then Sirius himself, once we were at Headquarters!"

Ginny's voice hadn't raised much in volume, but the room seemed to increase by several degrees in temperature. Understanding was dawning on Ron's face, but Ginny continued ruthlessly.

"Can you imagine what I felt Ron, learning how much had happened, how many risks you three took? And you didn't even have the decency to tell me." She shook her head, "No, Ron. Any guilt I felt about hiding this died that day. Today – you're right – today Hermione got hurt, and I feel terrible for that, but I am not going to sit here and let you preach to me the values of family. You, who has been lying to me since the moment you first stepped foot in Hogwarts! What, you forgot about me in my first year until I was in mortal danger? By the way, thanks for coming after me that day – a lot of good you did!"

Ginny was seething now; Ron looked away and even Hermione seemed ashamed. Harry, though, turned to Ginny and admonished her quietly.

"That," he said, "was a little harsh."

The words were quietly spoken, but had the effect he must have intended. Ginny immediately calmed herself, and even flashed him an apologetic look.

Beside her though, Ron's throat muscles were working convulsively.

"Fine," he said, and it looked as though the words pained him, "You've made your point. But the fact is that you're a Parselmouth. Hermione seems to know how," and here he shot her a look, "but I still don't understand. You're a Parselmouth for the same reason Harry is? Because of You-Know-Who?"

Ginny sighed wearily. This was one of the reasons she hadn't told anyone, even Hiss didn't seem to understand how far into her mind Tom had penetrated … "Yes," she answered him finally, "because Tom got into my mind. He was …" she fumbled, "…we were very close, that is, before Harry stopped him. He was torn from my mind then, and there was a lot he left behind. Parseltongue was easy, because I'd already had to … to learn it … to open the chamber and close it, but there were other things too. Pieces of half-forgotten spells, how to catch a Unicorn and drink its blood." She shivered, "Terrible things, but nothing that Dumbledore doesn't already know, or I would have talked to him about it."

"Still," Hermione seemed to consider something after a moment of silence had passed, "Perhaps you should let Dumbledore make sure … I mean, let him look around a little in your mind. There might be something you … overlooked."

Ginny licked her lips, not wanting to promise her sick friend anything, but decidedly uncomfortable with the thought. Before she could reply though, Hermione seemed to remember something. "How did the spell go, by the way?"

This time Ginny looked to Harry, and it was he who spoke.

"We didn't really get very far. Ginny has her mind locked up tight, but I did manage to make sure that if Dumbledore's right and she _is_ dangerous, well she probably isn't doing it of her own accord. We did find out though –"

And here his throat muscles seemed to suddenly stop working. Ginny stared at him quizidly for a moment, before suddenly understanding. She smiled a little, and Hermione obviously caught on.

"The binding charm, of course. It worked then?"

Harry managed a tight nod, and Ginny smiled awkwardly. Turning to Harry she asked, "Should I – should I ask Hermione about it? Later?"

Harry nodded, and from his corner Ron perked up, but Harry shook his head in his friend's direction. Still Ron opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but then closed it and leaned back in his corner. Finally, after an odd silence in the room, Ron changed the subject.

"So where's that snake of yours then? And what exactly is he up to?"

Ginny seemed about to reply, but it was Harry again who spoke. "Hiss is … he's fine. I mean, I can vouch for him."

Ginny turned to him quickly, but he refused to meet her eyes. Hermione looked between them, unspeaking, but then shook her head.

"Well," she said, looking over to Ron, "I am a bit tired and a little hungry. Do you think you and Harry could run and get us some lunch? Ginny can keep me company."

Ginny felt herself smile. Hermione was showing them all that she wasn't afraid of her. For a moment, Ron seemed about to protest, but then he stopped and looked over at Ginny. Her youngest brother scrutinized her for a moment, but then nodded.

"Mom made Greek salad and something with fish I think. We'll be up when it's done."

Ginny watched as Ron smiled at Hermione, and as Hermione smiled back. "Don't rush," she told the boys as they got up and moved to the door. When they had left, Hermione looked over to Ginny, who blushed slightly and looked at the floor.

"Look, Hermione. I didn't mean … I mean you've been the best to me, and when I yelled at Ron, I didn't mean to yell at _you_ …"

But Hermione shook her head, "No, really Ginny, I'm as guilty as the both of them. Even more so maybe." Hermione took a deep breath, but continued, "I mean I _knew_ how much it hurt you to be left out. It was just …" she shrugged helplessly, as finding herself at a loss for words.

But Ginny understood, "I know," the younger girl nodded, and then sighed. "I know; you three are best friends, that's all. I wasn't … I'm _not _part of your group. I may have wanted to be, but I wasn't." Here she looked back up at Hermione, "I _was_ hurt to find out how much I didn't know, wasn't told, though. But … well, I can kind of understand it."

Hermione nodded, still looking guilty. After a moment of almost-comfortable silence, Ginny looked up at her friend and grinned. "What do we do about Ron though? He's not really the world's best secret keeper …"

Hermione laughed, it was a soft sound, but warmed Ginny's heart nonetheless, "No, he's not is he? Still – I don't think he'd tell anyone about you, not on purpose anyways. Family honour and knowing that Malfoy will use anything he can against you should stop him. Let me have a talk with him, though. If he's still suspect, well – maybe he'll let us put a binding charm on him." She wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.

Ginny laughed, and Hermione joined in with her.

"Now," Hermione said shrewdly, eying the younger girl when they had both calmed down, "what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Ginny looked down at the bed and bit her bottom lip, taking a moment to collect herself. When she had organized her thoughts, the younger girl sat up straight in her chair and looked Hermione in the eye.

"What," Ginny asked, "do you know about magical connections?"

Hermione's surprised look was soon covered by a furrowed brow as she thought quickly. Her eyes darting back and forth as if she were scanning her own knowledge, Hermione admitted, "Not much." Ginny felt her face fall, but Hermione continued haltingly.

"I know," she continued cautiously, "that there are several examples. The Magical Guardian bond, for one, is rather like a muggle godparent arrangement except with a little more punch. There is the Lover's Connection, but that's only when a pair has forged a particular bond …" she stared at Ginny, "You haven't … have you?"

"Oh, no!" Ginny laughed. "Merlin, Hermione, I'm only fifteen! And Dean and I broke up weeks ago!" She shook her head, "No, I was wondering instead about the bond that's forged when … well when one wizard saves another's life."

She paused, eyes alight with a hope that faded at the look on Hermione's face.

"Do you mean between you and Harry, in the Chamber of Secrets?"

Ginny blushed, even though she tried not to. Gathering her courage, she forged ahead, "Well, yes I do. I mean, there would be a bond there, right?"

Hermione looked doubtful. "I never really got a true accounting of what happened in the Chamber. From what I understand, Harry and Ron set out to rescue you, Ron got stuck with Professor Lockhart when the ceiling caved in, Harry battled the Basilisk with a sword from the Sorting Hat and some help from Fawkes, and then … defeated Riddle?"

Ginny nodded, "That's what I understand too. I don't remember much of it, being so under Tom's control, but I do know that Harry was injured by the Basilisk, and then used its poisoned tooth to stab the diary. Tom was … torn … from my mind, and my strength came back. When I sat up, Harry was there, but dying, and Fawkes came and cried on his wound. Phoenix tears have healing powers, and so he was cured."

Ginny looked back up at her friend, but Hermione still looked doubtful. Finally, the older girl shook her head.

"I don't know, Ginny. I'd have to research more into it. I know that Harry _went_ down to the Chamber to save you, but when he defeated Riddle … well, I just don't know if it _counts_, do you know what I mean?"

"So … there has to be intent, right?"

Hermione nodded, "Right. At least, as far as I understand it. We could ask Harry how he felt, what he was thinking about, when he defeated Riddle, but …" she shook her head.

Ginny frowned, "But if it doesn't count, I mean … well how does that explain …?"

"Explain what?"

Chewing on her lower lip, Ginny thought for a moment if any of this was really Hermione's concern. What if all this conjecture, this effort, strained Hermione to the breaking point? What if she had a relapse and it would be Ginny's fault for placing too much stress on her already weakened shoulders? But no, she had already involved the older girl by mentioning the bond in the first place, and she knew Hermione wasn't one to go spreading rumors to the _Daily Prophet_. Quickly then, Ginny told Hermione about her childhood dreams, and the revelation that they were really some of Harry's early memories. Hermione's eyes widened as she listened, but when she finished, Hermione shook her head.

"That doesn't make any sense. There is no way – even if you had a connection forged in the Chamber – that it would manifest itself that early."

Ginny, feeling a sinking sensation in her heart, tried to salvage her … well, actually Harry's, theory, "But I thought … the TimeTurner … I thought for wizards it might be different …" she trailed off, and Hermione looked at her sympathetically.

"No, Ginny. Time was one thing I did study – Professor McGonagall asked me to learn as much as I could, so I would know how to properly use the TimeTurner. There is absolutely no way a connection, if you even forged one with Harry in your first year of Hogwarts, could manifest itself in your childhood. There has to be some other explanation."

"But what," asked Ginny with lead in her heart, "Could that be?"

And to that question, Hermione had no answer.

_Hey All,_

_Well, this is me from December 2004 right now. I've left the comments from the first time I posted this chapter at the bottom of this section. _

_Quite a few things got moved around here. Here I really didn't like switching into Hermione's POV. I kept it Ginny's, but tried to still let the reader understand Hermione's emotions in this exchange. I know the chapter doesn't answer a lot of burning question, but it does provide a movement point into the next section of the story. And who didn't laugh at Mr. Weasley's implied statements! I know I sure did .. lol_

_Anyways, next is what I put up last time. Remember: FEED THE BUTTON!!_

_(please)_

_---_

_Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one will be coming along soon enough … remember – review review review!!!_

**J.Rhaye - _ welcome_**_ to my reader list!! V. cool that you recognized my name from Jedi Amoira's fic reviews … I _love_ her stories, and I have to admit that she inspired me in many ways to write about Ginny myself. Glad you seem to like Hiss – he's really a well received character! I hope you keep reading and reviewing; do you have any suggestions or constructive critics to offer?_

**gallandro-83 – **_well I already wrote to you a lot so I don't have much to say here! Hope you're still reading and that you enjoyed this chapter J_

**Jcd1013** – _yea!!! So good to hear from you … I'm a pre-med student, so I'd love to hear about your experiences. Doing the MCAT this summer and applying next year … sigh so much work, but so much fun! Foxy Fox Mulder … Mmmm. Definitely a hot choice! Don't worry; you're forgiven about the reviewing. I just **have** lost so many people it seems and I was afraid that you were one of them! Hope you like the 'confrontation' coming up … I know the journey wasn't what a lot of people expected, and it wasn't even really what I expected when I started it … but this journey of Ginny's is only beginning, and I didn't want to give too much away! Don't worry, she'll be re-visiting that mansion, and she'll learn a bit more next time, especially about her **real** relationship with Harry (wink wink), but its not going to be for a while yet._

_Every now and then the truly daunting prospects of this story hit me … hopefully I'll be writing it for a while. I know you don't review often, but that can be a good thing! You're only allowed to review a chapter once, so if ever several weeks go by again and I haven't written anything new, just send me a review and I'll remember and get cracking. Sometimes I just forget how much I love this stuff, and I stop updating._

**Jaquelyne – **_ah, Jaquelyne! You have finally asked the question I've been waiting for someone to ask!! So of course, I can't tell you the answer, because that would be giving too much away! I will simply wish that you stay all confuggled and don't jump to the correct conclusion._

_Hmm … you avoided this story? Well that's not good … do you think I should change the little two lines I have to introduce it on fanfic. net? I've already changed it once, and I think it was for the better, but then again I'm not the one who sees it out on the site, so you tell me if you think I should change it._

_Thanks for the complements, I often wondered too if Ginny were a Parselmouth and decided to write a story to explain why she is … and it's not quite as simple as one might imagine! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on whom you ask) whenever I do something I do it big – and this plot is just that – big! (literally! Lol .. aww, no one will get that joke until later, lol .. maybe that's half the fun)_

**Hermione Starise – **_thank you for the compliments!! I DO like the Ginny in you're story – and I LOVE Hermione!! As always, waiting on your next chapter – hope you like this one!_

**PianZoe, kitten530 –**_ thanks for the reviews! More more … grr, argh!_

**Witch of Darkness – **_glad you liked that the parseltongue thing is out in the open … tell me what you think about how it develops in this chapter J_

**Bells – **_of course, I cannot neglect my beta and my roommate! J You're review's are by far the longest and the most informative! Email me back the chapter and I'll post it, k?_


	11. 10 Notice and Notes

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter ... I merely worship JKR!**

_I know, I know – its been a while!! Thank **jcd1013** for this update ... she reminded me of my duties!! I've actually had this chapter sitting in a floppy for a while ... Bells with second this ... and just haven't gotten around to editing and posting it! One word to explain myself: MCAT. shudders. Awful. Well, mostly. Work MCAT awful. So, I might not do to much updating this summer. There is no fear of me abandoning this story come September, since I know I use writing as a relaxation tool, but for now I just don't have time. (Get up at 6.30am – home at 10.30pm ... you get the picture). So everyone who wants to follow this story to its (he he he ...) very cool continuation can bookmark or "favoritize" me and just read as I post .. which will not be at a fast rate now, I'm afraid. Hope you all enjoy this chapter though .. much thanks to all who reviewed, (I can't mention things now as I have precisely 16 minute to get back to class .. but know that I read and thought egearly about all your remarks and suggestions!) and keep reading!!  
_

**Chapter Ten**

Conversation continued in Percy's old room, but Ginny found herself paying less and less attention as Hermione rambled on. As the boy's fetched lunch, the older girl had quickly shifted the topic of discussion to more mundane matters, and was currently speculating rather breathlessly on the different OWLS Ginny needed to achieve.

"Of course, you could easily take all of them, but I know Magical Runes wasn't your favourite class. I find it fascinating, however. And you're particularly good in Charms, as I remember. That should be easy for you, but don't hesitate to come and get some help early on if there's anything you're unsure of."

Ginny nodded absently. She had long ago learned the cadence of Hermione's voice, and knew which pauses required gentle _hmmms_? or outright nods of agreement. Her mind, however, was focused once again on the childhood dreams she had all but forgotten. They weren't particularly exciting or interesting dreams. Really rather mundane. The only reason she remembered them was because they repeated with odd regularity. There was some pattern to them … Ginny strained to remember, but in many ways felt as if she were trying to reclaim some forgotten life. Her dreams for the past four years had been so avidly terrifying, so unquestionably real, that it was difficult to recall anything prior to them.

For a moment, Hermione's voice was drowned out completely by the memories of the past four years. Ginny shuddered with remembered horror at the raw feeling in her throat, the pain that came with screaming yourself hoarse. Her mum had been forced to put sound-dampening charms around her room; else Ginny woke the entire Burrow with her cries. A spelled extension had linked her room to her parents, so they alone would know when she lay terrified in her bed.

Hiss had helped her the most through those times, however. It was in those first few weeks when she walked around in fog – too scared to sleep, too ashamed to face anyone – that Hiss had come and introduced himself to her. She had thought him a hallucination, and had been so tired of fighting with the snakes that had come to hiss at her night after night that she had given up right there on the lawn. Hiss had just talked to her though, comfortingly-like. And though Ginny couldn't even remember the words he had spoken to her, she knew the effect they had. The dreams paled in their intensity, and that night – for the first time in weeks – Ginny had slept an entire night through. The next morning she had gone looking for Hiss in the garden, and had found him in the paddock. It had been their secret meeting place ever since.

"Of course, I'd always thought divination a worthless subject, but now that we know prophecies are real, it really changes matters doesn't it? I think you should at least work hard on your divination OWL, and with Firenze teaching the subject it might be more plausible then that fraud Trelawney. Of course it was terrible what Umbridge did to her, but I still don't think Dumbledore should let her teach at the school. Not when Firenze needs to stay at Hogwarts anyways, since he can hardly go back to the Forest."

Something in that rather breathless statement jolted Ginny, and she quickly tore herself from her memories.

"Hermione …" she began hesitantly, succeeding in catching the older girl's attention, such that Hermione stopped in her rambling and waited for her to continue. Grimacing at breaching another unpleasant subject, Ginny nonetheless felt she had to ask.

"Do you think … well, I mean the prophecy about Harry was destroyed, wasn't it?"

Hermione gave a nod, "Neville said it smashed on the Department floor." She gave a sigh, "It's too bad. Could have been useful to know what it contained."

"You don't think," Ginny asked hesitantly, "that Dumbledore knows what it said, do you?"

Hermione gave her an odd look, and seemed to think for a moment. At last she shrugged, "I'm not sure. He can't know _everything_, and yet I find it hard to believe that if there has been a prophecy about V-Voldemort," Hermione looked annoyed with herself, "sitting on a shelf in the Department of Mysteries for sixteen years, that Dumbledore wouldn't have known about it."

"And if he knew about it," Ginny continued when she finished, "then he must have tried to find out what it said."

Hermione shook her head, "But you saw what happened to Broderick, the man who was forced to try and lift the prophecy. He was completely ---"

"But he was getting better, wasn't he?" Ginny interrupted, worry and hope spilling simultaneous from her lips, "That's why he was killed. And I'll bet Dumbledore's a lot more powerful than Broderick, even if he was a member of the Order. He might have been hurt if he tried to lift it, but he also would have known the prophecy."

But Hermione didn't look convinced, "We have no idea how one accesses the prophecy. Neville said that when it was smashed, a faint figure could be seen. Maybe it can only be heard once. The point is, the prophecy ---"

There was an odd _clunk_ at the doorway. Ginny turned around to see Harry and Ron framed by the light of the hallway, Harry staring at Hermione with a look of angry pain etched into his face.

"What?" He demanded, glancing back between Ginny and Hermione, "What about the prophecy?"

Ginny frowned, but Hermione answered with the tired voice of one who is sick of being yelled at for no reason. "We were just wondering if Dumbledore might have known if the prophecy about you and V-," she took a deep breath, "Voldemort was lying in the Department of Mysteries. And if he did," she shrugged, "Ginny figured he might have found a way to listen to it. But I don't think it would be possible."

Harry's look of anger was replaced by a depthless misery. With Ron glancing confusedly at his back, he walked into the room and set down a tray filled with salad and sandwiches. "Only the people the prophecy is about can move it."

"Still," Ron chimed in as he strode in and laid his own tray of food next to Harry's, "Dumbledore would want to help you as much as he could. He might have found a way to listen to the prophecy without lifting it."

Harry gave a non-committal shrug, and the subject was universally dropped. Ginny couldn't help but stare a bit at Harry throughout the short meal. _He doesn't want to know about the prophecy_, Ginny thought to herself as they ate, _he doesn't want to think that something else connects him and Tom together. _

Well, it couldn't be helped. Even if Dumbledore had managed to hear the prophecy himself, she should still tell him what Hiss had told her. The wording might be different, after all, and every extra piece of information she could give him could only help Harry's chances.

As she sat with the Trio eating lunch, Ginny felt the weight of her gained knowledge catching up with her. There were still so many things she did not understand. For example, the great wrought-iron gate surrounding her psyche had been decorated with snakes … but why? What did that mean? Was her mind perhaps particularly defensive towards people who spoke Parseltongue? That had been the language Tom had used most frequently inside her head. Was that why Harry had such a hard time breaking in? Or was there some other explanation for what had happened when he touched that gruesome gate?

Ginny didn't know; she felt after talking to Hermione that there was a lot she didn't understand. And she needed to understand. Especially about her and Harry, she thought, because that was simply too weird.

But she couldn't figure anything out up here. If she stayed in Percy's old room much longer, Ron was going to challenge her to a game of chess. And she didn't feel like a gripping game of logic just about now. No, Ginny wanted to think, wanted someplace to go where she would not be disturbed. Not by the twins who were sure to be lurking around somewhere, or by the multitude of Aurors present on the premises. In short, she wanted to go the paddock, to sit beneath her favourite tree and do her best to figure things out.  
But to do this, she needed Hiss. She needed him like a wand needs the wizard. She needed his common-sense, his serene wisdom and his assurance that as long as she held to her nature, everything was going to be fine. She needed her best friend – but she wasn't sure where to find him.  
First thing first: she'd check her bedroom. Once her mind was made up, Ginny was anxious to start searching. She made a quick excuse to the Golden Trio, not that any of them seemed to mind her leaving the stuffy room, and made her way down the stairs as quietly and cautiously as she could. Her idea of escaping off to the paddock relied on the fact that no one would know where she was going. Doing her best not to alert any members of her family, Ginny tip-toed over to her room and slipped in through the door, closing it quickly behind her.  
Harry did say that he was going to keep an eye on her, but he was still finishing his lunch so Ginny figured she would have a couple of minutes at least.  
"Hiss?" She whispered into the room, "Hiss, are you in here?" But there was no answer.  
Just to be sure Ginny checked the bed, her dresser, the space beneath her window and even the nearly-empty bacon box. Yet there was no sign of Hiss.  
He must be in the garden then, Ginny decided, but that in itself would pose a problem. Usually to go outside Ginny would need to pass through the kitchen; yet mum, possibly dad, and maybe even the twins, were in the kitchen. Entering that particular area would produce the multitude questions she was hoping to avoid. Not to mention she would most likely run straight into Harry.  
Moving to her window, Ginny tried to gauge the drop to the ground. There was a little siding near the north edge that she could possibly use to help her escape. It would still be a rather long fall, but she had done it once before. Of course, Ginny had been ten and unknown to her at the time, Bill had been waiting at the bottom with a triple-bounce charm. He had overheard George double-dog-daring her to jump out the window and had run outside just in time.  
But now there was no older brother to catch her, and no one to push her on. Ginny could choose to remain in her room all day, hide from each member of her family and allow others to solve her problems for her. But that was not the way Ginny Weasley had learned to operate. In the Weasley household, one took responsibility for one's actions, though the consequences were held off as long as possible most of the time – usually until mum found out.  
If Ginny could have her way, her mother would never find out the true horrors her youngest had suffered under Voldemort. She would never discover that Ginny was a Parselmouth, would never have to suffer the shame such a realization would bring. If Ginny had listened to her parents in the first place, she would never have opened her heart to that thrice-cursed diary and none of this would have ever happened. So taking a deep breath, Ginny hoisted herself out of her window and reach downwards with her left foot until she was precariously balanced on the north siding. Bending her knees, Ginny dropped carefully to the ground.  
The landing was a little harsh; Ginny rolled a second longer than she should have and ended up striking the east side of the Burrow with her shoulder, but all in all it was a successful escape. She hadn't even made that much noise when she hit. Now it was only a matter of locating her friend and escaping off into the bushes without anyone being the wiser. Not that Ginny had ever made her trips to the paddock a secret, but Hiss would be able to tell if anyone else was within hearing distance. She would never actually leave the premises, so Harry could not claim she was trying to escape. Besides, she was sure the older boy would understand the need to get away from prying friends. Hermione, though well-intentioned, could be annoying at even the best of times.  
Circling around the south-side of the building, Ginny searched all the usual hiding places for Hiss. She checked under the bushes in the front yard and the high grass near the west side, but there was no sign of him. Undaunted Ginny waited until Tonks, who seemed to be on duty in the back yard, circled around to the front of the house before checking the garden, the gnome holes and their sand-castle silt. Still no sign of Hiss.  
There was of course the paddock itself to check. Hiss might be waiting for her there, or he might even have circled back to her room ... Ginny should have left some kind of a message there for him to meet her later in their favourite spot. Well it was too late now and she'd have to check herself. After once again confirming that Tonks – who was now joined by Mundungus – was still in the front yard, Ginny sprinted to the paddock.  
The oak tree with its shady branches greeted her, as did the Quidditch hoops they had all neglected to take down the night before. But there was no evidence of Hiss. Even the mice seemed to know he was gone; Ginny caught one exploring in the grasses near the oak tree, a place where few ever dared to forage.  
Ginny felt her heart flutter in sudden fear: what if something had happened to him? She had left him with Harry on the floor of her room when she left to go check on Hermione earlier that morning ... had Harry perhaps said or done something to harm him? But no, he had vouched for Hiss later when Ron was questioning them. What had that been all about? How could Harry have known that Hiss was no threat, especially after he tried to curse him earlier? Hiss must have said something to him; they must have talked quite personally while Harry sat green in the face after accidentally cursing her instead of Hiss.  
Anger took the place of fear. If Harry had done or said anything to scare Hiss away from her ... but wait. There was something white and fluttering in the grass near the oak roots that caught Ginny's attention. Bending down to its level, Ginny carefully cleared the grass away.  
It was a small scrap of parchment, held down by a rock so it wouldn't be blown away. Ginny freed the parchment gently. Scrawled in a stick of black charred bacon was a single Parseltongue symbol. Translated it read "dusk".  
Dusk? Ginny wondered. She looked at the message again; the flare at the end of the word seemed to represent a time scale. So 'dusk' might mean that Hiss had to leave, but would return when the sun set.  
Ginny stood and considered. There was no direct evidence that Hiss had indeed written the message, but she was sure that Harry couldn't write in Parseltongue because it had taken her almost a year to learn to translate the spoken words into a scrawling symbols. And even then there were many distinct patterns that were supposed to denote inflection. The tiny up-turn at the beginning of the word might represent danger, or it could be that bacon-fat was simply a hard substance to write with. Hiss surely couldn't have written something in the sand near the Burrow, and he might have been in a hurry.  
Ginny forced herself to ignore the delicate flutterings of imagined danger. She would wait until dusk; blimey – what else could she do? She could not leave the grounds and was sure now that Hiss was not around the Burrow. She had no choice but to sit and wait anyways, so she might as well take what small comfort she could.  
She started to wonder what had made Hiss leave her, but quickly shut down that train of thought. There was no point in imaginative stories that would only worry her further. Ginny thought logically for a moment; the message had been found in the paddock so it was not unreasonable to assume that Hiss would meet her here. There were many things she could do until then – she hadn't forgotten her father's suggestion about attacking the other's to train them – and with the day's growing longer, dinner might be over before the sun fully set. Perhaps she could convince mum to cook it a little faster, to make sure that Hiss would not wait too long.  
Harry was sure to accompany her, Ginny realized with a despairing flash of insight. She doubted being able to hide from him again, and even if she did, he would probably get suspicious. Well if it couldn't be helped then it couldn't, and maybe she would learn what had transpired between the two of them that morning in her bedroom. Ginny was in no mood to ask the boy directly quite yet, though felt that eventually her curiosity would get the better of her.  
Ginny sighed; there wasn't much else she could do here. Better to get back to the Burrow proper before someone began to miss her. Though relations had been slightly improved with the Golden Trio, Ginny didn't feel like any more extended conversations. Perhaps she could take a walk with Mundungus to the muggle town.  
Turning her back on the paddock Ginny walked back to the Burrow blissfully unaware of the two sets of brown eyes that watched her every move.

_Hey All_

_Finally a chapter where I changed a significant portion of the writing! In the earlier installment, the beginning of this chapter was written from Hermione's perspectives. I had a few ideas I wanted to articulate, and thought it would be better to hear them from Hermione's POV. It just didn't flow right though, and several reviewers noted that too. So I decided to try and write it from Ginny's POV again. It worked much better this time, I think, and though I changed the course of the discussion quite a bit in this version, I really like the result. I think the conversation of the prophecy was something that needed to be said, and I enjoyed writing Harry walking in on that particular topic. _

_I'm thinking of opening an account on Sink Into Your Eyes when I finally get to writing new chapters for this story. Do any of you readers visit that site too? If you enjoy HG fan fiction, it's a great site. I'd definitely suggest checking it out._

_Any other sites you guys know of that I could post this baby on? Let me know in a review if there's a particular site you fancy, and I'll check it out. _

_So please review review review!! I don't care how many I have, I always need new reviews to keep the inspiration flowing! And to kick my lazy, tired ass in gear. The more you review, the better your chances of a new chapter quickly!_

_Light love laughter_

_Rain _


	12. 11 Lessons in Sight

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

**Chapter Eleven**

Mundungus Fletcher came out from the kitchen just as Ginny reached the backyard proper. She paused in mid-stride and thought for a moment – she didn't really feel like moping around the Burrow and trying to startle Ron all afternoon long. Standing on her toes then, Ginny waved a little to catch the old thief's gaze. Mundungus lifted his baleful eyes to the red-headed figure, then saw that it was Ginny and promptly grinned. Waving her further back into the yard, the part-time thief pulled his much-abused pipe from its pocket, lit it with the end of his wand, and took a large puff.  
"Ahh," he sighed contently as the sharp acidic smoke rose through the warm air. Looking over at Ginny, he winked.  
"Still has a fit whenever I try and smoke it in the house, your mum does." He shook his head, and the matted ginger hair swung haphazardly across his face. "Mentioned once she should try a puff on the ol' girl herself, and nearly got tossed from the house. Siri … uh, Fred and George, thought it was funny, 'course," he finished gruffly, the laughter gone from his tone, "but there you go."  
Ginny had been ready to reply to whatever the old thief said with a quick smile and a friendly disposition that might get her what she wanted, but the half-mention of Sirius stopped her. There was a sadness in Mundungus' voice, a loss that shook her deeply. She had forgotten, of course, that Sirius's death would affect more than just Harry and Professor Lupin. And she'd been so wrapped up in her own affairs these past few days that she'd never realized just how much Mundungus must miss him.  
Still, it wasn't the time to mention that now. Feeling somehow closer to the old thief than she had a moment earlier though, Ginny got on with her original question.  
"I was wondering, actually, if you'd mind getting away from the Burrow for a while." Ginny asked, "There's a muggle town not far from here, and a new bookstore that's just opened ..." She let the question hang.  
Mundungus paused to take another puff on his pipe before answering her. When he did, he kept his gaze fixed on some point above the Burrow's many chimneys.  
"I'm not going to ask why you don't want to go out with the others, 'cause I'm not as blind an old bat as some people I could name. And I don't blame you for wanting to get away, especially after what happened this morning." He shook his head, whether at Ginny's open-mouthed ready reply or his own musings she couldn't tell. Either way, she paused and let him go on.  
"But the fact is that I can't take you, 'cause there's something else I've got to see too. Oh nothing of that nature o'course," he replied in an admonishing tone at Ginny's one-eyebrow-raised glance, "Molly would have my head in the soup pot if she caught me pawning something again. No," the old thief continued, "– this is for Dumbledore. A mission, something important, though bringing Harry here took priority." He shook his matted head again, "Sorry Ginny, but you'll have to talk to Mad-Eye. Not that I'm confident he'll take you, o'course."  
Ginny, however, was no longer listening. Instead her brain had picked up and focused on one particular phrase that caught her attention. She swarmed over it like a bee on honey and delicately tried a lick.  
"You got a new mission, from Dumbledore?"  
"Aye," Mundungus fixed her with a glance, "but don't go asking questions because you know by now that I can't answer."  
But Ginny was shaking her head, "Oh no, of course not. I mean, I wouldn't dream of it, but ... well, just out of curiosity you understand ...how do you receive a message from Dumbledore?"  
"I mean," she hurried on, for Mundungus looked confused, "I know that you did, but I don't understand how the Order sends messages now that ... well I mean without them getting intercepted. Is there, uh, a secret code. Or," she asked, her heart beating wildly within her chest, "does Fawkes carry his messages for him?"  
Mundungus chuckled loudly, "His phoenix? 'Course not, a bird like that has more important things to do, don't you think? Can't just be treated like a common owl! No, no," he shook his head, "get all our orders from Pouch, in code and all you know. Dumbledore's got one of these little bags," he explained, "that's got our names on it, and we've got the other. He puts in a package of parchment and we check it on our side and take it out. And it's in code, of course, magically scrambled so only the right person can read it. Very top secret and all that. I wouldn't worry about lost messages if I were you."  
And with another chuckle, a wink and a puff on his pipe, Mundungus walked around to the front of the Burrow where presumably his broom was waiting.  
Ginny waved as he left and heard herself wishing him a safe voyage, but her mind was already racing ahead to new prospects.  
Dumbledore never used Fawkes to carry the Order messages! But then, Harry might be a special case … but then again, why wouldn't Dumbledore have charmed his letter? If it was supposed to be for Harry's eyes only, she never would have been able to read it … and if he didn't charm the letter, then maybe – just maybe – he hadn't written it after all …

But that didn't make any sense; because if Dumbledore didn't send the letter, then who did? She severely doubted that Fawkes could be made to fly for anyone else, even if they were in the Order. And who else would have a phoenix like Fawkes? A phoenix that if anyone should be able to identify, it was Harry Potter.  
No, Dumbledore _had_ to have sent that message; though why didn't he simply send Harry one of these magical bags instead? And why, oh why didn't he contact Ginny herself? The old question came back to haunt her.  
Dumbledore had been there for her during her second year. When she'd gotten back to school and realized she couldn't remember writing her end-of-term exams, she had raced to the Headmaster's office in a panic. She had been so sure that she had missed her exams completely, that she would have to re-do her entire first year … But Dumbledore had only smiled at her and reminded her with a gentle twinkle in his eye that school exams for that year had been cancelled. As she collapsed in relief, remembered fear, and loneliness to be again without Hiss at her side, Dumbledore had wordlessly enfolded her in a very grandfather-like hug. To Dumbledore had she explained the nightmares, every single one, that she'd suffered through all summer without telling anyone but Hiss.  
All in all, Dumbledore had been there for her when no other human being was, and with Mundungus's chuckling laughter still echoing in her ears, Ginny felt her first real glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he hadn't given up on her yet.  
She would have to talk to him herself, would have to ask him straight out if he'd sent Fawkes to Harry at any point during the summer. Thinking quickly, Ginny wondered if those bags Mundungus spoke of worked both ways – could she possibly send a message through Tonks bag, for example, back to Dumbledore?  
Heartened now, Ginny went looking for the chirpy, accident-prone Auror. She found her moments later in the front yard; Tonk's bright pink hair shone like a beacon out at sea, but Ginny felt her excitement dwindle.  
Tonks wasn't alone; far from it. Hermione, Ron and Mad-Eye Moody were all with her in the front yard, wands at the ready and practicing a few extra charms. Ginny didn't recognize the bright purple sparks that shot viciously out of Hermione's wand, but Moody was looking awfully proud and saying something about 'constant vigilance!' from the sidelines. Tonks was over near the chicken coop, helping Ron from the looks of it. His sparkles were decidedly more green than purple.  
Ginny stood and watched them, wondering if she could perhaps take Tonks away for a moment, just to ask her a quick question. But then Harry came around from the other side of the Burrow and Tonks got busy trying to teach him whatever spell they were learning. Ron continued practicing on his own, his face screwed up in concentration.  
Ginny sighed; there was no way she could ask anything now. She'd have to get Tonks alone after dinner maybe, but that was when Hiss was coming back. Tomorrow then, Ginny decided, she'd ask her tomorrow.  
Now that she was here though, Ginny found that, almost despite herself, she was interested in watching the Golden Trio practice. Always in the DA she'd been busy working on her own charm-casting and had never really stopped to watch other's attempt to learn.  
Ron was definitely doing it wrong, and after a few moments of watching Ginny was sure the problem lay in his foot position. The curse they were doing looked complicated; one had to step forward in order to swish the wand properly, or so it seemed. Hermione wasn't quite steady on her feet yet, but her natural grace with the wand more than made up for it. Harry, of course, had grasped the principal probably without even realizing it. He was now trying to explain it to Ron, who was looking more and more confused.  
After a few minutes, during which Ron succeeded in turning his sparks purple, even though they didn't shoot nearly as far as they had while green, the Trio moved on to another charm. This one apparently caused your opponent to forget their next spell, allowing the curser time to launch a more concentrated attack. It was complicated too, but Ginny was fairly sure she had the hang of it. Of course, she recognized that watching a curse and performing a curse were two completely separate things, but as it was her wand hand was itching to try out the spell herself. Following that course of action would obviously get her expelled, however, so Ginny forced herself to simply stand still and watch.  
Ron wasn't having much better luck with this one. Her poor brother, trapped between the brightest witch of their age and a man who'd been born ready for Defense Against the Dark Arts; it was no wonder that he looked less than adequate out there. Realistically, Ginny knew that he was probably better than most sixth years at Hogwarts, what with all the practice he'd had.  
Deciding that if she was going to watch she might as well get comfortable, Ginny found herself a nice piece of grass and settled down into it. She watched the way Tonks explained a new spell, often citing a particular instance in which it'd be useful, and then how Moody would add in his two cents, following the short lecture with a demonstration. They'd all go through the motions together, and then let the Trio try it out themselves.  
It was, to be honest, fascinating to watch, but as the minutes ticked by Ginny felt herself growing sleepy. She yawned for what must have been the sixth time in a row and remembered that she'd been up all the night before. Her quick nap that morning obviously hadn't re-energized her as much as she'd thought, or maybe their walk through her insides had been more draining then she realized. Ginny yawned again, blinked, shook her head to wake herself, and tried to re-concentrate on watching her brother practice.  
Several minutes passed. Harry had mastered the new charm and Hermione was half-way there. Ginny yawned again. It occurred to her that she had never really stopped. She blinked heavy eyelids, concentrated on her brother – who was really just starting to get the hang of whatever they were doing – and blinked again.  
When she re-opened her eyes, the world was subtly altered. Ron's distinct form had blurred around the edges, and Ginny watched him move as might sluggish water, his form turning and twisting in her mind's eye. She shook her head and blinked again. The world returned to normal and Ron was just finishing his first successful charm.  
Ginny looked over at the Aurors, who were now moving the Trio onto their third charm of the day. Everything looked normal. She shrugged; weird, but her eyes were probably just tired. She really ought to go to bed and nap, but it was probably almost dinner time anyways, and she'd be meeting Hiss directly after. The thought woke her up a little. She didn't have enough time to nap now.  
Ginny managed to keep her eyes bright and open for the next few minutes, but soon found herself blinking again. This time she was watching Hermione. When the world went fuzzy, however, Hermione's form didn't roll like water as Ron's did. She swirled instead, like a wisp of air roaming the countryside. Ginny watched in half-asleep amusement as the currents and eddies inside Hermione gathered themselves into a half-organized mob before hurtling towards her wand hand. The wand moved with a fluid motion and _bam!_ Hermione completed another perfect charm.  
Tonk's wild cheers startled Ginny awake. The Auror was grinning at Moody, who grudgingly admitted that he'd never seen anyone master that particular charm so quickly. Ginny watched the scene for another moment more before it finally dawned on her what she had just done.  
What was it Hiss had said? _'when all other sssensssationssss have passsed into the inner darknesss, then one can turn the mind to thossse around one, and sssmell them for who they really are.'.  
_Well it certainly couldn't be classified as a smell, but Ginny wondered if what she had just done was seen the magic inside of Hermione as she completed her spell. Could that be what Hiss was trying to tell her? That he smelt her magic, and through that magic could learn her moods, her abilities, and even if she was being possessed? Ginny felt her breath coming in short bursts, her mind completely stripped of all thoughts of sleepiness. What an amazing ability that would be! Like Hiss, Ginny would be able to tell if others were lying to her, to see if they were around ... the twins would never be able to sneak up on her again!  
But wait, wasn't this magic? And wasn't she an underage wizard? Suddenly nervous, Ginny scanned the skies for any delivery owls. If this could be picked up by the Ministry of Magic, she'd be expelled for sure. Briefly she wondered at her defense, _'honest professors, I was just falling asleep ... I didn't mean to do anything ...and oh, the snake? Bugger, just ignore him ...'  
_But several minutes passed and no owls could be seen. Ginny allowed herself to breath evenly again. They must not be able to pick this up; either that or it wasn't real magic. Ginny screwed up her eyes in concentration. What if it was nothing at all? What if she had just fallen asleep and thought she'd seen something?  
She shook her head, the best thing to do was to try it again, owl or no owls. _Now let's see_, she thought to herself, glancing around. _I was sitting like this, with my hands behind my back here ... I was watching the Trio, oh, there goes Ron again ... ouch, looks like that smarts ... and anyways, then I just sort of drifted off ...  
_Ginny tried to blink her eyes sleepily, but she was wide awake now. Forcing herself to yawn she tried again. Nothing. Bloody hell.  
She thought back to Hiss's instruction ... allow all other sensations to pass, embrace the inner darkness, and then look to see other's true selves ...  
Ginny took a deep breath and forced it slowly through partially open lips. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. It took a few moments for the tension in her muscles to let go, but as she took another deep breath, Ginny felt herself sink a little into her own consciousness. Encouraged, she repeated the motions, breathing deeply and forcing herself deeper and deeper into her own mind. Just as Hiss had promised, Ginny felt a subtle kind of darkness gather around her. Briefly she wondered how long she'd been sitting here for, but quickly forced such physical thoughts away. She had started to feel the breeze on her arms, the ground against her legs, and felt herself rising from the comfortable darkness she had descended into. Quickly she took another deep breath and forced herself to stay down. The darkness around wavered, got cloudy, and then solidified again.  
Ginny breathed in comfortable nothingness and simply let herself exist for a moment. This was wonderful; she should make a practice of doing it more often. There was further down she could go, too ... for a moment, Ginny caught sight of her house, her inner mansion, still surrounded by its network of snakes, but she let the image pass. She wasn't looking for that now, though it was good to know that it was still there, accessible, the next time she had use for it.  
Instead of descending deeper, Ginny took a deep breath of the darkness before abruptly opening her eyes. She blinked, disorientated, and then quickly saw why.  
The world had indeed changed, less subtly then before. She saw the plants and trees around her glowing faintly red with energy as they hummed the song of life. She saw the Burrow itself to her left, pulsating slightly pink with the movement of her family inside of it. The vision of her home was blurred however, by the numerous protection spells that encircled it.  
For a moment Ginny gasped – there were so many layers of shielding! – before forcibly turning her attention towards the lawn. She didn't know how sensitive those protections were, or even if they might sense her staring at them.  
Besides, the lawn held so many sights to behold. There was Mad-Eye and Tonks, the former a tightly controlled network of magical energies, primarily orange as he guided the Trio through their exercises but towards the edges he was purple and blue, maintaining, Ginny realized, 'constant vigilance'.  
Tonks was controlled too, but with a sloppy precision no-where near Mad-Eye's advanced control. Hers were a brilliant leap of swirling colours, a bubbling red as she laughed with Hermione, and a watching blue towards the edges like Moody. At her core, however, Tonks held a ball of calm leafy green, and Ginny understood that her constant good humour was a result of being, in the center of her being, at peace with herself.  
Excited now by what she was learning, Ginny turned her wandering eye to the Trio, and almost gasped at what she saw.  
Hermione was indeed a swirling form of air currents. There were no strong colours, however, but a general slipping and sliding from red to green to purple and all the colours in between. But her magic was far more interesting that Mad-Eye's or Tonk's had been. There seemed to be ... more of it ... somehow, and it swirled and moved inside of her. There!, a sudden gust by her right elbow, and look! a shimmering calm near her wand arm and, oh ... a mini-tornado by her belly. Ginny realized that this must symbolize her injury, and watched in fascination as even before her eyes the tornado shook, reasserted itself, and then shook again.  
_She's healing_, Ginny thought relived, watching the tornado fight against the power in Hermione's frame; _it's going to take more time, but she really is getting better_.  
Turning her attention now to Ron, Ginny smiled to see that her brother was far less organized inside than Hermione. Like her, however, his magic had few outstanding colours but rather shifted and changed as he used it. And there was the same feeling of _compression_ inside his body too, as if there was almost too much power to put in there and so it all had to crowd a little. It wasn't doing this easily, however. As she watched Ron attempt to perform a difficult spell, his water-like insides swelled into miniature waves and rose towards his wand arm. But only half-way there they fell and splashed along with the rest of his magic, as if he couldn't concentrate hard or long enough to master their movement. Yet it was all there, packaged inside of him, and he simply needed to learn how to control it. Ginny felt a swelling surge of pride for her brother, once he mastered that final step he would surely be a magnificent wizard.  
Hermione and Ron done then, Ginny turned her attention towards Harry. Frowning, she noticed instantly that something here was different.  
For one thing, which didn't seem quite possible, it appeared as if Harry had no magic at all! His form shimmered and slipped like a shadow, and was nearly as dark as one too. But it wasn't the presence of darkness as a form in itself, Ginny had spied black as one of the colours bundled inside Mad-Eye Moody and knew that it must represent magic as well; it was simply that Harry appeared to be curiously empty.  
Ginny shook her head. That simply wasn't possible. Harry was one of the most gifted students in the school. He'd run the DA last year, could now summon a fully formed Patronus on command, and had faced Tom what, three, four times now? There was no way he could be empty of magic! Ginny knew she must not be looking hard enough.  
Leaning forward, Ginny concentrated and stared hard at Harry Potter. She saw his outlined form and his shadowy, empty insides. He was practicing against Mad-Eye, perfect. Ginny watched as he arranged himself into combat stance. There! A small flicker of magical energy, right down near his core. It flashed for a moment, not even very brightly, and then disappeared again. Without even looking, Ginny knew that he had perfectly performed the spell.  
_That's it?_ She thought to herself. No, she shook her head, it couldn't be! There had to be something more. Something she was missing. She watched for a bit longer but nothing happened; Moody was now helping Ron, and Harry was just standing over to the side, watching them.  
Something tickled at her mind. Ginny watched Harry for a moment more, his form still strangely empty, while the idea took shape. _I wonder_, she thought, feeling her idea taking shape in her head, _where that light went when it went out?_  
Curious now, she stared into Harry where the light had appeared. Nothing. She started harder. Still nothing.  
Something ... moved ... inside of her though. It was a desire, a wish, that she couldn't give form too. It was like her hand itching to reach into the cookie jar, even when it knew it should not. It was that kind of a wish, and it rubbed itself against the edges of her mind.  
Curious, wondering whether she should be apprehensive, Ginny relaxed and allowed the itching desire to show itself. She imagined giving in to the cookie jar, and reaching in her hand ...  
At first she felt nothing, but then a vibration hummed somewhere inside of her. Once again Ginny could see the thin, golden thread that connected her to Harry.  
Silently, in the depths of her mind, Ginny spoke with a voice she was not sure was entirely hers. It was playful, sing-song like, but somehow dark and frightening ... _Come out, come out, wherever you are ...  
_The effect was dazzling. Ginny felt herself thrown back by the force of it, and knew without looking that Harry had collapsed on the grass, dizzy and disorientated. She thought she was going to be sick.  
Trembling, Ginny closed her eyes and forced herself back towards the solid world. When she looked up she saw the Burrow as it had always been, real and defined, and looked over at the lawn to see that Mad-Eye was now crouching beside a dazed Harry Potter, calling for Ron to run and get a glass of water. Harry was protesting that he was fine, but Ginny, watching, knew better.  
The power, the _power_! It was all there, hidden inside of him. Ginny stared at his back, hardly seeing Tonks and Hermione looked on concerned, as she remembered the brief glimpse she had seen before the force of it had knocked her back against the grass.  
It was huge, terrifying, wonderful and ... challenging? Ginny shook that adjective from her mind. Really, as if she would dare to challenge that! It was like a rippling white lion, a force of lightening drawn and held to the earth. Ginny felt a sudden surge of sorrow towards Tom. He had no idea what he was up against!  
Stumbling to her feet, Ginny looked once more towards the Golden Trio. Ron had come back to report that dinner was almost ready anyways, and that mum wanted them all inside. He helped Hermione back to the door while Tonks examined Harry and pronounced that he'd be fine with a bit of supper in him. Moody was glancing around as if searching for dark wizards to blame, but must have seen nothing out of the ordinary because he agreed with Tonks.  
Harry himself still looked a little dazed but was trying to hide it. Before he went inside, though, he stood and looked quickly around the lawn himself. Ginny dashed behind the Burrow before he saw her and hurried over towards the kitchen. She took a few moments to compose herself before walking – calmly, she hoped – towards the backyard.

It was only once they were all seated around the table for supper, mum passing out the bread and dad describing his day at work, that Ginny guilty remembered about Hiss. She leaned back in her chair and quickly checked the sky; plenty of daylight left. An hour or so by the looks of it. Ginny sighed, relieved. She took a pile of mashed potatoes and a slice of kidney pie from Tonks, her mind still distracted and on her reptilian friend. It wouldn't hurt to be in the paddock early, she reasoned. She wondered if she'd be able to get back there without Harry following her.  
Forcing a smile on her face as Tonks asked her how the afternoon went; Ginny passed the potatoes to Ron, and made up some bland sort of answer. At the other end of the table dad raised his head and asked if Mundungus had left yet, and Ginny took a bite of her sausage while mum told her he had.  
Dinner continued on in its usual fashion, and Ginny forced herself to eat at a normal pace.  
_Just a few more hours_, she thought to herself amid the bustle of the supper table, and _I'll be able to find out where Hiss has gone._

_Hey all,_

_Well I didn't change much here, just cleaned it up a bit. There were a few differences, and Gold Stars to whomever can point them out to me! _

_what did you all think of this chapter? any questions I can answer? any new HG fan fiction sites you've all thought up for me???_

_and please, if you made it through this chapter to the end, repay my work and feed the button!_

_(the button is hungry! the button is wise ... feed the button!!!!)_

_giggle_

_Life Love Laughter_

_Rain_


	13. 12 Hiss Returns

**Ginny Weasley: **

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter ... I merely worship JKR!

**Chapter Twelve:**

Ginny got a break after supper. She was helping mum clear away the table while everyone else finished up their chocolate pudding; it was delicious but Ginny was too anxious about meeting Hiss in less than an hour to sit around eating desert. Plus, the faster mum finished cleaning up, the faster Ginny could take off to wait in the paddock. She was just wondering whether she should try running off in secret or if she should stick around and wait for Harry when Mad-Eye Moody sat up at the table.

He cleared his throat, took a swig out of the ever present hip-flask and fixed his one beady eye on Harry, Ron and Hermione. The other eye, electric blue, continually scanned the area around the Burrow, watchful and unblinking.

"You three did very well today," he said finally, the praise coming out in measured tones that didn't sound as if they had done well at all. "Well enough in fact that I've been asked to take the three of you with me on an errand that I'm running tonight."

The news left those at the table momentarily stunned, and then a loud crash was heard from the kitchen. Mum had dropped a saucer by the sounds of it.

Dad, who was still at the table, pursed his mouth in a straight line and stood up, making his way to the kitchen. Ginny managed to duck her head when dad's eye swept over her and silently continued cleaning the table, hardly daring to breathe as she heard him comforting mum in the kitchen.

"Now I'm sure this is nothing dangerous," Moody continued, after sparing a glance towards the Burrow, "and I know your parents will be worried, but I've discussed the situation with Dumbledore and he agrees that there is no practice like experience. I'll give you the details once we're in the air. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge and Remus Lupin will be joining us." Ginny felt her heart lighten at the thought of her old Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, "But that's all I'm going to say for now." Moody concluded, sizing the Trio up with both eyes. "Are you in?"

With one eye fastened on the table, Ginny managed to notice that Harry actually glanced at her before answering. Moody must have followed his gaze because as soon as Ginny looked up, he was staring at her.

"Unfortunately, Ginny cannot accompany us. Magic-using wizards only."

His tone was gruff, as usual, but Ginny thought she caught the barest hint of apology.

Hermione spoke into the suddenly uncomfortable silence. "Well I'm in," she said, sparing a glance at Ginny as well, "even though I'm useless on a broom."

Ron looked at Hermione, his eyes filled with worry. "I don't know, 'Mione. You're not quite better yet; maybe you should stay back ..."

But Moody shook his head, "There won't be much action, so don't get your hopes up and don't worry about Ms. Granger. Best thing to do is keep her active. No worries about the flying either, we aren't crossing the country. Besides, Dumbledore says the three of you shouldn't be separated, and I'm with him on that. Nothing like friends to watch your back in times of trouble. Constant vigilance!"

Okay, that hurt. Ginny turned away to the kitchen so the others wouldn't see her jaw clench. She knew, she _knew_, what he meant – Ron, Harry and Hermione had been inseparable for years now – but it still hurt. They couldn't be separated, but she was being left behind like the irritating little sister she was. As if she wasn't good enough, wasn't a real friend. It brought back their anger against her, their suspicions. If Dumbledore had sent a phoenix saying one of _them_ was a spy for Voldemort, they wouldn't have believed it for an instant.

By the time she had come back from the kitchen for the last of the dishes, all three of the Golden Trio had signed on for Moody's adventure. Ginny worked hard to keep her expression passively neutral, but couldn't miss the stare Harry aimed at her before they left. Immediately, Ginny felt her heart lighten. Let them run off to their adventures, she was going to see her best friend in only a few minutes time and there was nothing Harry could do about it now.

They left only moments later. Mum came out of the kitchen with dad beside her to wish them luck, just in case. Her face was splotched and Ginny felt her heart twist painfully. This must be so much worse for mum and dad than for her. All she was worried about was not going along, mum was terrified they'd never come back.

Still, with Harry gone and the table cleared Ginny had no one to stop her from leaving the Burrow. While dad went upstairs and mum got the sink started on the dishes, Ginny crept out the back door and forced herself to walk at a normal pace across the yard. While they had been eating, the sun had started sinking down behind the hills and the light from the kitchen and a few upstairs windows were now the only source of true illumination out on the grass. Only when she was far enough away from the Burrow that the shadows overtook her small form, did Ginny kick up her heels and run for the paddock.

She reached the edge of the bushes and slowed down, scanning the shadow-filled grasses for any sign of Hiss. Nothing stirred, so Ginny walked carefully over to the oak tree and peered around.

"Hiss?" She called.

After a moment a familiar voice answered her, "Here, little sssnake."

Feeling relief wash through her, Ginny hurried around to the back of the oak tree and saw her friend lying there entwined among the roots. To the untrained eye he would have melted into the shadows but Ginny saw him immediately.

"Hiss! I've been so worried about you, where did you go? Why did you run off like that? Is everything okay?" The questions poured out of Ginny in parseltongue as she sank to the roots in front of her friend, but her relief didn't last.

Hiss looked exhausted. His skin was peeling in places along his smooth belly and his black-green scales hardly glistened at all in the dimming light. His voice, when he answered her, was laced with fatigue and his tail barely moved when he greeted her.

"I am fine, little sssnake. Only tired." He answered her spoken and unspoken worries. "I have traveled far today, in sssearch of the Den Mothersss. I am ssssorry for worrying you, but there wassss no time. I had much to asssk."

Ginny frowned, "The Den Mothers? You mean THE Den Mothers? The leaders of your people? But ... they're so far from here. I thought ... I mean you told me once that it took several days ..."

Hiss flickered his tongue in agreement. "Indeed. I, however, had reassson to hurry."

"Why? What ..." Ginny felt her insides condense in fear, "what happened?"

Hiss bent his head, collecting his thoughts. Ginny, feeling that he must be cold in the twilight, picked him up and put him in her lap, her warm blood sheltering his cold. Hiss tapped his tail appreciatively before answering her question.

"It isss ... difficult ... to explain. You remember thisss morning? When Harry Potter cursssed you, by missstake?"

Ginny felt her jaw clenched in anger, "Hardly a mistake, he was aiming for you."

Hiss smiled with his tail, "Truth. But in the end, he did attack you. Now ..." he thought for a moment, "... sssomething odd occurred when he did ssso. How to explain it ...? It wasss if hisss power, ssso very ssstrong, leap from hisss body. It, for a moment, conssssumed him."

Ginny thought back to what she had witnessed that afternoon, of the lightening lion that Harry concealed in his lanky frame. "I ... I understand Hiss. I was watching him practice today, and I tried the smelling-vision thing you mentioned. I caught a glimpse of Harry's power; it's awe-inspiring."

Hiss summoned the energy to glance up and peer proudly into her eyes, "You learned the ability that quickly? I ssssee that I have not underessstimated you, little sssnake."

Ginny blushed, and Hiss continued on. "You underssstand then, how frightening that wasss for him. I do not believe he even knew it wasss there, at leassst, not really. I, who could sssmell it'sss power when unleasssed, did my bessst to help him control it again."

Ginny nodded, understanding now why Harry had vouched so easily for Hiss. It was probably impossible to go through that kind of experience with someone and not learn to trust them.

"Why did this require a visit to the Den Mothers then? And why did you return from such a journey so quickly?"

Hiss flickered his tongue, "The journey wasss not entirely mine. I will explain. You remember, of courssse, of the prophecy you found one day in your mind?" When Ginny nodded he continued, "When I realized the extent of the power inssside of Harry, I sssaw that you were correct, that it did most likely relate to him."

And here he paused, glanced once into her eyes, and gave Ginny a look she could not easily identify. But before she could question him about it, he continued.

"Once he recovered, I took only the time needed to write a messsage ssso you would not worry, and left at once to find the Den Motherssss. I made the journey with utmosssst hassste, with the help of Avian friendsss."

This was news to Ginny. Avian friends? But Hiss, seeing her confused, explained.

"In many waysss are the Winged Folk and the Reptilian Kind clossse, little sssnake. In all conflictsss with the Mammalsss, they have they joined our ssside in battle. With the sssecret wordsss of conflict, I convinced an owl to carry me.'

'When I reached the Den Motherss, I sssaw at once that I wasss in fortune. With the fessstival of Lammasss ssso closse, many of the Mothersss had traveled to meet together. Not all were assssembled, but enough were presssent for me to presssent my findingsss.'

'I related the sssequence of eventsss. They were quite intrigued, and bid me to follow and keep a clossse watch on the young Harry. On you asss well, little sssnake, for they found you equally intriguing. They bid another Winged member to carry me back, but ssshe could only travel ssso far, and I have crossssed the remaining dissstance to reach you in time."

Ginny's heart went out to her friend, so noble, so protective! She hugged him close, warming him further and stroked him under the chin where he liked. "You are the greatest best friend ever Hiss. Do I tell you that enough?"

Hiss smiled with his eyes, and stroked her appreciatively with his tail. "And you, little sssnake. Even had the Mothersss not ssso charged me, I would have returned to you, never fear."

Ginny smiled back at him, "So what happens now? With Harry, I mean; did the Mothers have any advice?"

And here again did Hiss give her that same strange look as before, though this time with a little more sadness behind his eyes. "None," he finally replied, "except to watch and lisssten. If the time of the prophecy isss indeed clossse at hand, there isss much to be done for my people. The Mothersss I ssspoke to will inform the othersss once Lammasss comesss, and a delegation will be sssent to the Mammalsss. We have been enemiesss for long, and the final battle drawsss near."

The final battle. Those words had an inevitability to them, a depression that echoed somberly in Ginny's mind. They sat there for a moment, in companionable, if not comfortable, silence and Ginny realized something terrible. Turning to Hiss she asked frightened, "Hiss, I've only just realized ... its Harry against Tom, in this final battle thing you mentioned, but it'll be Tom who's fighting for the snakes, won't it? And I can't … I mean I won't support Tom, but how will I stand with you?"

But Hiss did not seem to be as concerned as she. "Think not of it, little sssnake. In the battle, all will be made clear. Remember, too, the wording of the prophecy:

_pray not for one or each but all  
for in thisss battle one shall fall  
and neither can the world sssupport  
whoever wins this lassst rapport_

He said the words as if they meant something, but Ginny frowned. "I don't understand ..."

"Yess, you do." Hiss assured her, "You sssimply do not want to believe it. Thisss isss a battle for the end, little sssnake. Whoever winssss," Hiss flicked his tongue, "it will hardly matter. Sssome have believed that in the end, only the winning sside will prevail, but I do not believe thisss iss sso. Asss deep asss our conflict goesss with the mammalsss, I know in my sssoul that one cannot sssurive without the other. The delicate balance will be disssrupted. No matter who winss, I believe that in the end both will lossse."

And on that chilling thought, Ginny had no words.

They stumbled back to the Burrow shortly after that, Hiss clutching tightly to Ginny's leg as if afraid that at any moment he would simply fall off. Ginny half-feared he might, he was so exhausted that his muscles might simply give up. And yet she couldn't take the risk of carrying him all the way into the house. As it was, they passed Tonks on their way in and waved a greeting as she completed her last inspection of the grounds.

The sight of Tonks brought another worry into Ginny's mind, but she was careful not to give voice to it until she and Hiss were nestled securely inside her room and only then did she speak in the softest whisper.

"Hiss, what did you mean, 'watch and listen'? Not only for another week? Because after that it's Harry's birthday and we're all moving back into Headquarters."

"And then I, little sssnake, am moving with you."

"But you can't! That's the problem, see? It's the same situation as it was last year ... there's no way to sneak you into Headquarters. I can't even tell you where it is because I'm bound by a charm of Dumbledore's! You can't even see the place unless you have specific permission from him and him alone."

"But it isss not at all like lassst year, little sssnake." Hiss contradicted her, "There isss much more at risssk now. I have been charged by my Mothersss to watch you and the Potter boy, and watch I will. Isss there no way to ssspeak to this Dumbledore? To asssk him to let me in?"

At this Ginny remembered her conversation with Mundungus Fletcher, and quickly repeated it to Hiss.

"So you see, there might be a way to get a hold of him, but I'm really not sure if it's going to work."

Hiss flickered his tail twice, the only indication that he was as worried as she was.

"Tomorrow," was all he said in the end. "We'll assk about it tomorrow."

_Hey All,_

_A short chapter, but again it sets the stage. For those of you who don't know, Lammas is the festival of the first summer harvest – it's enjoyed on August 1st. _

_Below is the original comments I made to reader's questions and points of discussion:_

_**gallandro-83**: you know, you might have a point! I never really thought of Ginny being that stubborn ... I wouldn't go quite so far as to say that Harry is Ginny's "puppet", but I do see what you mean. There will be yelling back, though, have no fear! I am an angst driven writer ... lol _

**Witch of Darkness**: lol, I love new powers, don't you? Of course it's all due to Hiss, but still ....

**Comet Moon**: tee hee, you'll just have to wait to see about the invisibility cloaks, won't you? Lol ... no clues!

**Calm Soul**: ooo!!1 New reader??? Review more!!! Details, details!!!

Note: I re-read all the HP books last week ... gave me some great ideas for Ginny, and I see how my Ginny is on and off of JKRs. Ah well, that's the joy of AU (alternate universe) ... lol

Review, Review, Review!!!!!


	14. 13 Trio Troubles

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter ... I merely worship JKR!**

_Another chappy ... sorry its so late - I had to first face that little detail called the MCAT. Went well though!!! I think ... "crosses fingers"_

_Ahhh ... the case of the missing commas ... how you deal with me **bells** I do not know!! As always, many humble thanks to my beta and (in two weeks!) roommate ... without her this story would sound a lot lot worse ..._

_I'll write more at the end of the chapter, for now, read on!_

_(only a few more chapters till the Move, I promise! writers honour! (do writers have honour? we torture people all day long ... hmm..."ponders"))_

_on with the show!_

**Chapter Thirteen:**

Lying there in bed, Ginny felt as if 'tomorrow' couldn't come soon enough; but in the end it did. She and Hiss awoke to the pounding joyfulness of sunlight and breakfast at the Burrow, but neither felt like getting up.

"I could have sworn I only fell asleep half-an-hour ago," Ginny complained as the twins knocked a new rhythm on her door. Ginny cursed good-naturedly as Fred drummed a beat and George belted into the hallway: "_Gin-Gin the wee one, slept thru food and had no fun, got up too late to win a date and oh! There goes Gin-Gin the wee one!"_

Darting out of bed, Ginny threw open her door to catch them but the two eighteen-year olds dashed down the stairs as if they were still seven and she four. It was with great agony that Ginny remembered she couldn't curse them until they were all back at Hogwarts, and then groaned as she remembered that the twins had of course _finished_ school the previous year.

_I'll have to get them good before we move back to Headquarters, _Ginny thought maliciously to herself as she walked back into her bedroom and pulled out an old pair of jeans. _And then I'll get pictures of whatever I do so I can pass them out in front of the joke shop and laugh_.

Hiss had an even harder time waking up than she did. She could tell that he hurt all over; which was no surprise since he'd obviously traveled much farther than he should have the day before. Yet despite her protests and not-so-subtle hints about taking the morning off, her friend managed to get himself up and onto her ankle.

"I have had ssseveral hoursss of sssleep." He told her, "A little food and I will feel better."

By the time Ginny managed to get them down the stairs and into the kitchen, it was obvious they were both in for a tasty treat. Ginny had barely taken her seat at the breakfast table when mum shuffled three golden brown blue-berry flap jacks onto her plate – Ginny's favourite – while complaining loudly about the mice that had been propagating recently beneath their floor boards. Hiss, who had already caught the tongue-twitching scent of newly born mice, pulsed rhythmically on her ankle.

Ginny was lucky it was only Fred and George who were seated at the table this morning. Hiss seemed to forget himself half-way through the meal and mumbled dark things about what he would do to her if she didn't hurry up and get him outside where he could hunt. If Harry had been present the situation would have been a lot less funny, but as it was Ginny could hardly keep a smile off her face. Fred and George noticed her good humour and once mum moved upstairs to see how the three were doing – the Trio had apparently come back only in the wee hours of the morning – the twins turned to her with matching serious expressions.

"I must say Ginny, you're being awfully good about this," Fred leaned over and whispered to her once mum was out of sight. Beside him George nodded, "We were upset ourselves really, 'bout you not in on the 'venture last night."

Ginny, who had been trying not to giggle as Hiss tickled her leg in irritation with his tail, was shocked into looking much more upset about it than she actually was.

Carefully smoothing out her expression, Ginny answered, "Well there's not much I can do about it, really." She shrugged and turned back to her breakfast. "I mean, okay I practiced last year a bit, but it's been the three of them who have been in the thick of things from the start."

But George shook his head, "A bit? Come on Ginny, we've been bragging about how good you are for years and you've only gotten better after joining the DA. Don't know why Moody didn't at least take you with them yesterday," he huffed, "_we_ know you could have made a difference."

Ginny frowned, wishing they hadn't brought this up. "Look, guys, I'm not really upset about this, okay? Well I mean I _am_," she corrected herself, "but I'm also _not_. This is Harry's gig and where he goes, Ron and Hermione go too."

But Fred still looked upset and George continued for the two of them, "Ginny, usually we'd agree with you, honestly, I mean," he looked at Fred and they both shrugged, "Harry's been fighting you-know-who for years. But, well, what we really mean is ..."

He paused unhappily and Fred promptly took over, "What we mean is, being the big brothers that we are, we think Harry's been a bit of a git this summer."

"This whole year, really, but it wasn't our place to say." George enlarged.

"But now that he's turned upon _you_ ..."

"...well we're just not happy about it that's all."

"And we were wondering if there's anything we can do."

Ginny smiled brightly at the both of them. "Have I ever told you that you're the best big brothers ever?"

But Fred shook his head, "Nah, just filling in for Charlie really. _He's_ the one we wrote to, not sure about what to do about this. He said we should check with you before we threaten Harry with life or limb."

"Something about 'not the proper way to go about it'." George agreed, winking at Fred. "Don't know what he was talking about really, probably would have been better to take him out in the back and have a few choice words."

"More satisfying really."

"Maybe a bump or two on the back of the head."

"Oh stop you two! Honestly!" Ginny laughed. "You are _not_ to bash Harry's head against a rock, that's _my_ job!"

"Can we at least push him down a few times?" George asked eagerly, "Force-feed him a few a few tons of Beat-Red-Beasties?"

"Just to remind him whose baby sister he's glaring at." Fred agreed.

"Absolutely not." Ginny declared as firmly as she could between giggles. "Really, you two are the greatest, but this is my problem to deal with. I don't want you guys getting involved."

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Alright," George said finally, "but if this doesn't go away then like it or not we're going to exercise our rights as older siblings."

Ginny smiled at both of them, "Deal. Give it a few weeks though. Once we move back to Headquarters ..." Ginny shrugged, some of the laugher dying on her lips, "I'm sure things will get worse before they get better."

Hiss pulsed in agreement on her ankle.

Breakfast finished quickly after that. Mum came bustling back into the kitchen and Fred and George promptly said their morning good-byes. Ginny rushed through the rest of her breakfast while Hiss went on mumbling threatening promises about crushed ankles under his breath. When she finally got them outside a few minutes later her friend wasted no time in slithering off to the closest bushes and securing himself some breakfast of his own.

Hiss spent the next hour or so hunting while Ginny went about her morning chores. She had to de-gnome the yard, feed the chickens, and pry what weeds she could from the vegetable patch. A few were so badly twisted into the raspberries that there wasn't much she could do. She was just finishing up in the backyard when she heard movement in the kitchen. Raising her head to peer into the kitchen window, Ginny saw Harry, Ron and Hermione stumbling their way down the stairs and into the kitchen for breakfast.

The Golden Trio was obviously exhausted. Ginny felt the poke of curiosity jabbing her in the stomach but kept all impulses firmly under control. She wasn't about to simply storm in there and ask about their night's adventure. Surely it couldn't have been too exciting; there was none of the usual hushed-whispering that usually occurred whenever the Trio had a new secret to discuss.

In fact, there was no whispering at all. No talking either. Peering through the window, Ginny thought she caught a brief look of questionable uncertainty flash between Ron and Hermione as they sat down to eat their breakfast, one on each side of Harry. Harry, on his part, was staring at his plate and shoveling flapjacks into his mouth as if they were the only thing existing on the planet at that moment. Ginny watched as Ron glanced once over at Harry, careful-like, before looking back up at Hermione and shaking his head. Bending down to his plate, Ron busied himself with his own breakfast.

Stepping down from the window pane, Ginny paused with the garden hoe still clutched in her right hand. _What_, she wondered to herself, _was that all about?_

-------

Ginny found out several hours later. Or rather, received a rather large clue in the apparating form of one (ex-) Professor R. J. Lupin.

After finishing the rest of her gardening, Ginny collected Hiss and the two of them decided to go looking for Tonks, Moody or someone who might able to tell them how to contact Professor Dumbledore. They looked in the backyard, the front yard, the paddock and finally found Tonks on the upstairs landing where she was in a rather heated discussion with Mad-Eye Moody. Ginny tried to get a sense about what they were fighting about but that bloody magical eye of Moody's caught her sneaking up the kitchen stairs. Under his suspicious gaze Ginny mumbled something about needing to use the 'loo and Moody took Tonks upstairs to another landing and charmed it securely before continuing their discussion.

Ginny then decided to wait in the kitchen for one of them to come down and passed the time by helping mum chop vegetables for lunch. Several minutes later Moody was the first one down the stairs but he swept out of the kitchen and into the front yard before Ginny had a chance to ask him anything. Moving to the window, she watched as he walked down to the edge of the yard and with a _crack_ promptly apparated away.

Tonks came down a few moments later. She looked slightly angry and was still a bit flushed in the cheeks, but otherwise seemed alright. This time Ginny was quick enough to actually initiate her question, but Tonks forestalled her with an upraised palm.

"Sorry Ginny, but can it wait? Mad-Eye asked me to walk over to the muggle town with Ron and Hermione for a while. Could you keep Harry company maybe while their gone? I think he needs someone to talk to."

Ginny managed to close her open mouth and hoped she didn't look too shocked. _Her_? Comfort the Boy Who Lived? Oh yeah, and while she was at it she'd just nip over to Malfoy Manor and give Draco a peck on the cheek.

But Tonks had already thanked her and was walking out the backdoor, obviously on her way to collect Ron and Hermione. Ginny shook her head at Tonk's retreating form. What was with people thinking her and Harry were friends? Dean had been insufferable about it and they'd split up after only dating for three weeks.

But Tonks had asked and probably expected her to at least try. It obviously had something to do with what had happened last night, but Ginny didn't see how she could be much of a help. She didn't even know what the problem was!

But she was probably the one person Harry couldn't get angrier with at the present moment. Better her talk to him than someone else, someone he might push away who didn't know how to push back.

As she walked around to the backyard, Ginny saw that Ron and Hermione were just leaving with Tonks around the side of the house. Glancing at the duo, Ginny couldn't help but notice that both Ron and Hermione looked extremely tense. She felt a thrill of anger burn up her spine, but forced herself to stay neutral. _Cool it, Ginny_; she told herself sternly, _you don't know what happened, and so you should go making hasty judgments_. But bloody hell did that Potter act without thinking of the consequences half the time!

Scanning the Burrow for Harry, Ginny reasoned that he probably wanted to be alone right now, which meant that he was either in the room he shared with Ron or in the back by the paddock. As _she_ certainly wouldn't have chosen to be surrounded by a barrage Chuddley Cannon orange when upset, Ginny decided to check the paddock first.

Hiss around her ankle hadn't quite gotten the gist of the situation but Ginny knew he could smell her emotions. There was a certain tenseness, he once said, that she got whenever she talked about Harry. It must have been radiating from her now because she felt Hiss coil protectively around her leg as they walked towards the paddock.

Sure enough, there was Harry. He was lying beneath the oak tree, his hands resting behind his head and appearing to the world as any normal sixteen-year old on a morning in July. But Ginny knew better. She could see the tenseness in his shoulders as she slowly walked over and sat beside him, her body fitting naturally into her normal place among the oak roots.

It was Harry who, several moments later, spoke first. "I knew they'd send somebody, but I didn't think it'd be you."

His tone was carefully neutral, but Ginny heard the anger behind it. Anger at herself or someone else she couldn't tell.

So she shrugged and decided to go with the truth. "I'm under orders from Tonks. She seemed to think you needed someone to talk to."

Harry only grunted. "I'm fine."

Ginny couldn't help it; she cocked an eyebrow and said half-amused, "Really ..."

Hiss uncurled himself from her ankle. Harry saw the motion and sat up with a start, then stopped when he recognized who it was.

"Is that where he normally rests?" He asked, a new tone in his voice.

Ginny watched her best friend slither onto the grass. "Usually."

"Could we pleassse ssspeak in a language everyone presssent underssstandssss?" Hiss asked them irately, drawing himself to his full height and looking them both in the eye.

Ginny blushed, Harry looked down.

"Of course, Hiss. Sorry." Ginny apologized in parseltongue. It felt strange to say the words with Harry near. This was something she had conditioned herself against a long time ago.

Harry seemed to be struggling to make sure the language was right. "Yes, sorry. It's just ... odd to talk ...."

Hiss nodded his head, a human gesture he had learnt from Ginny. His tongue flickered too, in a snake's natural motion for acceptance of an apology. She wondered if Harry understood the motion.

"You have not practissed your gift much, have you?" Hiss asked formally.

Harry looked a little shocked, "Well no, I guess I haven't." He shrugged, "Never really had a need too."

Hiss blinked sadly, "I underssstand. My little sssnake here did not either, until ssshe found me. There are not ssso many of our kind who would talk to mammalsss."

Harry looked somewhat uncomfortable, "You, you don't like mammals then?"

Hiss flipped his tail 'no'. "We are mortal enemies and have been for centuries. Daily, however, we get along well enough."

Harry didn't appear to have anything to say to this, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh honestly, Hiss, giving him the old Reptilian History? I remember this speech." She teased, "Just tell him that his accent is terrible and he has no concept of structure. It's the same thing you told me four years ago!"

Hiss actually managed to look ashamed while Harry glanced over confused.

"You've got to put the pro-noun after the noun, Harry, and pay attention to your syntax. You're "I"s sound more like "you"s; and when talking to a snake – always use your eyes. They speak more with their movements then with their tongues."

Harry looked guardedly impressed. "I hadn't realized you knew so much about them."

"Well unlike some people I've actually been practicing my gift for the past four years."

He looked at her sadly, then turned away to stare into the bushes. After a moment he said, "You actually consider it a gift?"

"It's given me my best friend, how could I think of it any other way?" Ginny replied gently.

Harry didn't answer her for a long while. Hiss caught her eye and indicated that he was going to give them a minute and go hunting, but that he wouldn't be far out of sight. Ginny used her right hand to signal that was fine, and Hiss disappeared into the foliage.

When he was gone Harry turned to her, "There, right then, what did he say?"

Ginny blushed, got angry at herself for it and stopped. _Honestly_, she thought, _he's the one whose been suspecting me, give him a taste of his own medicine!_

"Hiss doesn't trust you," she stated unapologetically. "He's going to go hunting for a bit but will stay close by in case I call."

Harry blinked, his skin tightening a little around the eyes but he said nothing, giving away no further indication of his emotions.

"He's got a rather excellent sense of smell, you see," Ginny continued, forcing herself not to feel bad, "it lets him read people like a book."

Harry turned away from her and looked back into the bushes. After another moment he spoke, "And what does he smell?" He asked.

Ginny shook her head, "He didn't say. It's not his place too. Snakes have an incredible sense of propriety. It keeps them organized, as they don't often spend too much time with their Den. In the snake hierarchy, you are neither a friend nor enemy, and shall thus be treated with the minimal of respect. As such, your personal feelings are not to be discussed. At least," Ginny amended honestly, "not with you sitting right here. He'll probably tell me later, but only because he's worried."

Harry actually let out a heartless laugh. "Oh yes, _everyone's_ worried. Everyone's concerned. Can't do a bloody thing without ..." he trailed off.

Ginny bit her lip and looked away to keep herself from demanding that he explain. This was obviously about last night. She wanted details but forced herself not to ask.

After a few moments, Harry turned to her surprised.

"What? No opinion?" He asked, his voice carrying a hard edge beneath his evident shock.

Ginny let go of her lip and turned back to him. "I'm trying to keep from asking questions. Tonks said you needed to talk; I'm sure that didn't mean you really needed to listen."

Harry smiled – smiled! – and looked away again. "She's quick, that Tonks."

Ginny didn't say anything but busied herself will pulling bits of grass out from between the oak roots.

A while later – Ginny honestly couldn't say if it had been merely five minutes or perhaps half an hour – there was a sharp _crack_ from the direction of the Burrow. Ginny leaned out to look between the bushes and could see Professor Lupin walking around from the front yard.

Beside her Harry leaned over and saw the same. He sighed, ran a hand through his perpetually messy black hair, and stood up. Wiping some clinging grass bits from his pants he mumbled, "Time to go face the music," still in parseltongue.

Ginny tried to keep her gaze averted as he got up to leave, but it turned to him almost inadvertently when she heard him pause at the entrance to the paddock.

Harry Potter stood there in the half-shadows and looked at her. "Thanks," he said finally, before turning and walking back along the grass towards the Burrow. Ginny watched him go until she saw the kitchen door open. Professor Lupin sat at the table. The door closed and Ginny turned back to the paddock.

Hiss came slithering back from behind the oak tree. Mindlessly she put out a hand and stroked the underside of his throat.

"Well," Hiss said finally, slipping onto her lab and lying there contently, "that went sssmoothly."

And Ginny, feeling a bubbling of emotions she couldn't begin to name, wondered if she agreed with him.

--------

_Hey All!_

_Hmm…really really didn't change much here. I can see how the writing has shifted a little .. very busy time in my life when I wrote this .. but it still seems good to me. Only a bit different. Not much happened in this chapter, on the surface that is._

_Here's what I wrote last time:_

_now on to talk to my readers! (in the order they reviewed ....lol)_

_**J. Rhaye**: Hiss's loyalty is crucial to the story, and he's such a wonderful character that it really shines through - I like your description of being on the "out" ... it is very frustrating, and I think Ginny's done a good job of dealing with constantly being on the out .. lol, love the "intricate weaving", hope you liked this chapter!_

_**Anrion1:** hey, new reader!! review with more next words next time so i can reply back to you somehow! lol_

_**Witch of Darkness:** your reviews brighten my day too! lol - I worked out your anticipated "talk with Dumbledore" last night ... all in my head still, but I hope you'll enjoy it ..._

_**Calm Soul:** (btw, love the name) ahh, waiting for the adventure ... well the Trio went on one "last night" in my story, though of course I didn't offer you details. real "trouble" doesn't start until Hogwarts though, hope you keep reading till then!_

_**Ginny and Harry Forever:** (love the name!!!) wow, lots to reply to here ... you reviewed twice, did you realize? funny that the program let you, usually it's pretty strict. Okay, first I want to say: no flaming please. I know you didn't direct it at me, but everyone of my reviewers is entitled to their own opinion. I do think you have a point though; Harry yelling at Ginny would almost be a degression of his character, he did his screaming in book five, and I think he's trying to grow up. It's hard though. He is a little of judge, jury and excutioner, isn't he? lol. but he's got stress, Ginny knows that, but unlike Ron or Hermione she isn't going to take it lying down._

_**Comet Moon:** What can I say, I like angst. Lol. I love the characters so much I torture them daily! That's a good point actually, what would Molly and Arthur do if they knew what Harry and Dumbledore were doing? Lol - I know what the twins would do, stick up for their baby sister! But the Weasley's opinion of Harry runs deep, even deeper after he saved Mr. Weasley's life I think. And you're absolutely right, the Trio really never have given their trust to Ginny ... well, Hermione a bit maybe, but certainly not Harry or Ron. When I realized that I knew my story could fly. The turning point was in the OftP when Harry looks to Ron and both of them (I'm paraphrasing here) "know that Ginny and Neville were the last two they'd bring to the Department of Mysteries with them."_

_so of course they don't trust her. lol -- and I'm not looking for a bloodbath! at least not among my reviewers .... wow I never realized you guys were so polarized! It's my story and I'll write it as I like (it's already mostly figured out anyways), but I do like to know what people think._

_so did everyone hear that? I LIKE TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE THINK!! lol. so review but keep it clean, k? no flames._

_that's all for now ... **Bells**, I should have the next chapter up and done some time by the end of the week. I'm going to go work on it now after posting this (I brought it on floppy to work ... lol) so maybe you'll even get an email tonight._

_Remember: REVIEW **Review** Review _

_oh .... and for anyone who's curious : I totally ROCKED the MCAT. Still no idea if I got into med school or anything (had to write a huge bunch of essay's, "why do you want to be a doctor, in under 750 characters, etc", but it's looking good so far .... crosses fingers)_


	15. 14 Ambush and Attack

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only worship JKR!**

_Hey All,_

_Okay, you hate me. I know. It's been ages since I updated. But hey – I've spent the time since Christmas and Comet Moon's email (send him emails and ring his praise … for Comet Moon reminded me about my fan fiction-posting duties) going over and re-writing the previous thirteen chapters._

_SO … it's been such a while since I updated that I really encourage all my (very loyal!) readers to run back and scroll through the previous chapters. Not much has changed, really .. (in fact, I thought I'd be changing a LOT more than I did) .. but it's still moderately different. Mostly just cleaned up._

_Oh – and much of my understanding and ideas of the Weasley children's attitude towards Ginny, I've taken from _Laura Laurent_'s _In the House of the Quick and Hungry_. It is an EXCELLENT story hosted on Sink Into Your Eyes, an HG fan fic archive site. Those (very general – you won't find any reference to specifics, so go read her story to find out what they are!!!!) ideas are being used here._

_Okay, without further ado – onto the next chapter!! And please please pleaseeee review so I know that I haven't lost all my excellent readers!!!_

**Chapter Fourteen:**

Ginny tried – for the next seven days – to have a quick moment alone with Tonks. But the young Auror seemed to have not a moment to spare. After a few days, Ginny began to wonder if Tonks was purposely avoiding her.

Tonks spent the evenings and mornings patrolling 'round the Burrow with Mad-Eye Moody; immediately after breakfast she usually disappeared (literally – she apparated from the edge of the wards near the chicken coop every morning) for several hours, then returned in the early afternoon to lead the Trio in spell work. Practice lasted until dinner time, before and after which Ginny was generally roped into helping with the kitchen. With the Twins, the Trio, mum and dad, Mad-Eye, Tonks, and Ginny herself eating meals together, there was a multitude of dishes to be cleaned, vegetables to be chopped, and general cleanliness to be maintained. Mum was a firm believer in the theory that hard-work began at home.

Ginny could, of course, have gone to the _other_ full-fledged Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix currently residing on the premises. But Mad-Eye Moody made Ginny nervous where Hiss was concerned. She was pretty sure that Mad-Eye _must_ have noticed the snake that curled daily around her ankle by now, that bloody eye of his missed nothing, but he had yet to say anything about it to her. Ginny, understanding the suspicion with which most members of the magical community regarded Parseltongue's, was content to let that particular conversation lie. And yet, as the days marched steadily towards Harry's birthday and their imminent departure to Headquarters, Ginny knew she had to do _something_ about her friend. Hiss was coming with her to HQ; not only did he insist upon it – and Ginny had learned years ago that only Hiss was potentially more stubborn than she was – but Ginny _wanted_ him to come with her. It had been absolutely horrid having to leave him behind last summer, especially when she knew Tom was finally back out and on the loose. There were so many times she needed his advice … Ginny sighed from her hiding place along the upstairs corridor broom closet … she wasn't about to leave him behind again.

Also frustrating about this week, Ginny decided as she squirmed to get more comfortable in the confining space, was the absolute refusal of _anyone_ to speak about what had happened between Harry and Professor Lupin on the night of Mad-Eye's adventure. Usually if she wanted to find out a secret the Trio was hiding, Ginny could just bury herself in a few textbooks and hang out in the Gryffindor common-room. Only so much time would pass before either Hermione or Ron would crack and talk about Harry. And they could never quite seem to keep their whispers down.

But here at the Burrow, Ginny had no such eavesdropping opportunities. Hermione was still recovering from her summer ordeal, and no longer sat up late with Ron and talked – not even in the kitchen after dinner. During the day, the two friends were almost always around Harry, and both had apparently decided not to mention the incident in his presence. Ginny was distinctly frustrated.

So it was that Ginny found herself wedged into the broom closet on the upstairs landing … Ginny was simultaneously avoiding chores from mum and engaging in her new favourite-thing-to-do-to-distract-me-when-I'm-frustrated-activity – surprise attacking the Trio.

Again, they were most often found together, but exactly twice during the past week Ginny had managed to point her imaginary wand (her index finger) at each of them in turn and shout out "Expelliarmus!" before anyone could get a shot off. The trick was to attack Harry first - his draw was incredibly fast – then Hermione and Ron. Ginny reserved jump-attacking for the boys only, not wanting to further injure her recovering friend, and she only physically attacked them outside. Last night the Trio had gone on another "routine" training adventure with Mad-Eye, and were again sleeping in late. Ginny had ducked into the broom closet almost an hour ago, to avoid having to make breakfast downstairs. Mum, it seemed, had started packing away the clothes and possessions they would be bringing to HQ. Ginny didn't want to get roped into helping with that, either.

Actually, it was rather strange that mum was focusing on packing this morning, Ginny considered to herself as she waited for signs of life in Ron's room across the hall. Harry's birthday was tomorrow, and Ginny had figured that her mum would get all the packing done early, and then spend the last few days at the Burrow getting ready for Harry's inevitable "surprise party". After all, the boy was sixteen this year and it was the first time the Weasley's were in a position to throw a party for him. Ginny couldn't imagine her mum missing out on a chance like this.

And yet, nothing appeared to be happening. Ginny had spent the past few days quietly waiting and watching for the balloons to appear, the box with the party materials to be taken out … but she had seen nothing. Was it, she wondered, perhaps too dangerous to throw a party right now? Had a large gathering of people celebrating been deemed too high a security risk?

They were indeed living, Ginny decided unhappily, in dark days.

Just as Hiss had mentioned, in a muted whisper Ginny could hardly understand, that perhaps they should wait _outside_ for an opportunity to ambush the obviously-exhausted Trio, Ginny heard a soft footfall outside her broom closet door.

Holding her breath, Ginny waited with practiced stillness, and was rewarded with the slight _creak_ from a much-abused floor board. Grinning her to herself, Ginny readied her imaginary wand and with a burst of energy and speed leapt from her hiding place.

"Expelliarmus!" the flying red-head shouted, springing from the broom closet to whirl at the approaching figure.

"Petrificus Totalus!" The figure shouted back, reacting instantly to the unexpected assault. Ginny felt her arms and legs instantly snap together, causing her to lose her balance and hang for a moment on the heels of her feet.

Poised on the edge of the landing, Ginny stared at the figure that had jinxed her and felt her jaw hang loose. "Bill?"

But the next moment, unable to catch her balance, Ginny felt herself topple backwards end over end, down the rickety staircase until she saw the next landing rushing up at her with terrible speed …

"Accio Ginny!" her eldest brother shouted, just before Ginny hit the next landing. The spell gripped her firmly, and Ginny felt herself go shooting up the staircase towards Bill, who caught her in a firm grip.

"Bill!" Ginny cried, overjoyed to see her eldest brother. Looking astonished to see her, Bill quickly removed the body bind he had placed on his sister – much to the relief of Hiss, who hadn't at all appreciated the sequence of events.

"Ginny!" Bill exclaimed, as he undid the jinx and caught her in a surprised hug, "what are you doing jumping out of broom closets at a time like this! I could have killed you!"

Ginny giggled, too happy to see her brother again to worry about what might have happened had his Accio been slightly off, "I've been giving the task of keeping the Golden Trio on their toes," she explained. Bill's red eyebrow's rose and Ginny laughed.

"Dad's idea. I can't actually practice spell-work, but I've gotten really good at ducking!" She glanced over to the stair case and shook her head, "You've got the fastest draw I've seen so far, you know. You even beat Harry."

But Bill shook his head and chuckled, "I don't know, kid. If you had a real wand, I wouldn't have been able to get a shot off at all." He nudged her towards the kitchen, "Come on," he smiled, "let's go find some grub."

Ginny had already had breakfast, but she could easily go for another glass of pumpkin juice. Besides, she wanted to find out everything she could about what Bill had been up to lately before something else came up and he had to leave again. That was a common problem in her family these days.

"So when did you get home?" Ginny asked him as they made their way down the stairs. She didn't bother keeping her voice down; if their little tussle hadn't woken the Trio, nothing would. "I thought you and Fleur had some top secret mission you were on." Ginny didn't mention the details, but she knew (with the help of Fred and George's Extendible Ears) that Bill and Fleur Delacour had been sent to France to make contact with half-bloods who might support their war against Voldemort.

Bill looked down at her reprovingly, but there was a glint of amusement in his eye, "You know fully well that Fleur and I just went on vacation, a little relaxation packet from Gringott's."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Okay ... so when did you get back from your 'vacation'?" She asked, smirking a little, "How were the _sights_?"

A tiny love-sick grin appeared on Bill's face, "Excellent," he replied in a soft murmur that Ginny was not entirely sure she was supposed to hear.

The oldest and youngest Weasley stepped off the last stair and into the kitchen, and Bill's ponytail hopped on his back as he bounced over to a plate of waiting sausages. "Got back last night," he explained in a normal tone as he cast a quick warming charm over the food, "Harry, Ron, and Hermione came to pick me up at the international-apparatition station. With Mad-Eye, of course." He looked over at Ginny and winked, "Hermione's getting a lot better on a broom, and Ron looks as if he might actually be a decent Keeper."

Ginny grinned as she took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with pumpkin juice, "We actually won the Quidditch Cup last year, even without Fred, George or Harry on the team." A slightly frown appeared on her face as she moved to stand with her eldest brother by the counter, "Is that what Mad-Eye has them doing, then? Missions for the Order?"

But Bill shook his head, "Not really; just small errands to keep them on their toes. I wasn't a priority or anything like that;if I had there would have been a lot more security. But don't worry," he flashed her a grin, swallowing a piece of sausage, "I can look after myself."

Ginny knew he could, but she still worried. Lucius Malfoy might be in Azkaban, but that didn't mean that her family wasn't a prime target. They were pure-bloods who fought back against Tom, and good friends with Harry Potter. Ginny didn't like blaming Harry for her family's predicament; it had been – after all – their choice to take him in. But it couldn't be denied that the Weasley's were now on the Deatheater's hit list.

"It's more the attitude of 'watching-and-waiting' that Moody wants to train them in, I think." Bill was saying. The plate of sausages was almost gone, so Ginny went to the fridge and found a few cold flapjacks. "That's one of the hardest things for most people to learn. It's easy to grow complacent and let an odd movement in the corner of your eye slip by."

Bill took out a frying pan and warmed in on the stove. "Harry's really good at it, actually," he continued, "and Ron and Hermione, too. I know no one's particularly happy about having them semi-join the Order and get some practice, but I think Moody's got the right idea."

Ginny sighed as she handed Bill the flapjacks and watched as he crisped their edges. She hated being left out, but had to admit that it was easier not being directly involved in the war. She had been living in such relative peace at the Burrow these past few weeks that it was sometimes hard to look out the window at the bright summer sky and think of the war being waged across the country right now.

Bill finished with the flapjacks and asked if she wanted one. Ginny shook her head, "I already ate. Mum had me up early this morning to do the garden. It was a mess when we came back this year. I think she's afraid the vines will get out of control if we're gone too long again."

Bill had poured jam over his plate, and started cutting up his breakfast. He stopped and sighed at her words, however, and looked up to meet Ginny's eyes.

"It can't be helped, you know." He told her sincerely, "The Burrow's only so safe, and we know Voldemort's spending his energies rounding up his army and wondering how to break his people out of Azkaban. When that's done, he'll start the attacks again. We've got to be out of here before then."

Sadly, Ginny nodded. "I know, I do – it's the safe, the _right_ thing to do. But I don't have to like it."

"No one likes it, kid." Bill replied as he smeared the jam over his flapjack. He continued in a softer voice, "No one likes what they have to do during a war."

Ginny didn't have any reply for this, so she sat quietly while Bill ate. After a few minutes though, another thought occurred to her.

"Oh Bill – you're a member of the Order. Do you have a little bag from Professor Dumbledore, one with your name on it that you get order's through?"

Bill turned to her, looking surprised. "I do, actually. Why?"

"Does it work both ways?" Ginny asked him, a hint of urgency in her voice now, "Can you send Dumbledore information through it back to him?"

Bill put down his fork and knife and leaned back against the counter to scrutinize her. "Ginny," he asked after a moment's pause, "what do you _really_ want to know?"

Ginny blushed faintly, "I want to ask Professor Dumbledore an … an important question. But I don't know how to contact him."

Bill was silent for another moment. "If this is about Harry …"

Ginny felt anger condense in her stomach, "It's not about Harry!" W_hy does everyone still think that I fancy him?_ "It's just a question, Bill. About me, actually."

"You're too young to join the Order, Ginny." Bill told her firmly, "And Dumbledore can't get you any special privileges to do magic. I know it must be hard for you with Ron, Hermione and –"

"Bill!" Ginny looked at her eldest brother incredulously, "That's not it either! Merlin, mum would have my head if I even –"

Now it was Bill who cut her off. He was looking at her curiously, "What is it then?"

Ginny stared at him, anger again giving her strength, "It's nothing like that." She told him firmly, "Just a quick question between me and Professor Dumbledore. Something he told me back in second year. It won't take an instant, but it's something I need to check on."

If Professor Dumbledore had indeed sent her that note, and if he had been telling other members of the Order to watch out for her, Ginny knew this conversation would not look good on her record. But even if he _had_ warned Bill, Ginny wanted desperately to believe that her brother would never believe such stories. At the same time, she didn't want to explain to him why she wanted to talk to Dumbledore, either.

Bill looked confused, but not suspicious. After another moment, he shook his head. "I'm sorry kid, but the pouch only works one way. Dumbledore puts our orders in, and we take them out. The spell-matrix used could possibly be altered to a crude locator device if it ever fell into enemy hands, so one-way traffic only was installed. If the enemy had something to lock onto, it's conceivable they could discover Dumbledore's hiding place, or even apparate into Hogwarts. We can't risk that."

Ginny frowned, "But if all they need is a signal, what's stopping them from smuggling one into Hogwarts anyways? I'm sure Draco Malfoy would gladly --"

But here Bill smiled and shook his head, "Nah, Dumbledore's got protective wards to screen against that too. And the spell-matrix for that kind of signal is pretty complex, almost beyond _my_ ability to construct. No student at Hogwarts would have a chance, so the only way to get something inside would be to alter some spell that Dumbledore's already constructed. No mean feat. The pouch might be an option, so we're just taking precautions." Bill fixed her with a reassuring grin, "Hogwarts is still safe, Ginny," he assured her, "probably one of the last places that is."

Ginny smiled back at him, but then sighed. "So there's no way for me to contact Dumbledore, then?"

Bill shook his head, "Not directly. Once we get to Headquarters you'll see him though. He's there pretty often these days."

But seeing Dumbledore at Headquarters didn't help her at all. Ginny needed him to allow Hiss inside the wards. He was a knowing individual who would be rejected by the Fidelius Charm, of this Ginny was sure. Even owls had to be allowed in, Sirius had told her.

The thought of Sirius made Ginny blink, her eyes suddenly full of tears. But she quickly brushed the offending water away. Bill had gone back to his breakfast, and Ginny didn't want him to see her crying and get the wrong impression.

Just about then, Ginny heard movement on an upstairs landing, and knew that she had missed her opportunity to 'curse' the Trio that morning. Bill, too, looked up at the sound, and Ginny flashed him a grin.

"I'm going to go hide outside," she told him, standing up from the table, "so don't tell them you saw me, okay?"

Bill winked at her and Ginny quickly hurried out the back kitchen door. As she searched for a hiding spot, Ginny mulled over what Bill had told her. When she found a place behind a garden shrub just out the kitchen door, Ginny quickly related the conversation to Hiss.

"Ssso there isss no way of ssspeaking to this Professssor of your'sss?" Hiss asked her quietly as they waited in the backyard. From the sounds of it, Ron was in the kitchen with Hermione while Harry took a shower upstairs.

Ginny shook her head at her friend, "I don't think so, Hiss. Not until we get into Headquarters, and of course then it's too late."

"Maybe you could wait outside," Ginny continued after a moment's grim silence. "I could go in, talk to Dumbledore and he could come out and let you in."

"But what if he isss not there?" Hiss countered. "Here I am protected, but outssside thessse wardsss," he flickered his tongue in a gesture of uncertainty, "I draw attention, little sssnake," Hiss told her, "other reptilesss can sssmell me; and from what you have told me of thisss 'Tom', he isss asss reptile asss mammalssss may come."

Ginny sighed, understanding his concern. "And if he can sense you, then he'll know the general location of Headquarters," she finished for Hiss. "He might not be able to find it directly, but if we were right last summer and he _does_ have some kind of mass bomb or something, then he could just wipe out the entire area without having to find Headquarters at all."

Hiss twirled his tail in a gesture of uncertainty. "We will sssimply have to attempt an entrancsse," he whispered after a moment, "and hope for the besssst."

Ginny didn't like that plan at all. "I have no idea what the wards will do to you Hiss. I can't imagine they would be anything good."

"You will be able to protect me, little sssnake." Hiss told her confidently, giving her a sideways look Ginny couldn't identify. "I have faith in you."

But Ginny, crouching behind the garden shrub, wasn't nearly so sure.

_Hey All,_

_So what do you think? I'm hopping back on the horse here, so send me reviews please! Lots and lots of reviews! Good, bad, etc. etc. And no flaming other people's opinions, please!_

_Life Love Laughter_

_Rain_

_(feed the button … feeeeeed the button!!!! Review review review!!!) _


	16. 15 Breakfasts and Birthdays

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only worship JKR!**

_Hey All,_

_NymphPatronus is going to kill me. I credited Comet Moon with edging me to get back to me fic but forgot the also-ever-loyal NymphPatronus!!! So it can fairly be said that both sent me emails/reviews and urged me to get my lazy-ass back in gear …_

_To all who have reviewed – thank you! I'll post comments at the end of the chapter. _

**Chapter Fifteen – Breakfasts and Birthdays**

The rest of the day past in relative normalcy. Only Harry got 'hexed' that morning, Ron and Hermione were getting quicker on the uptake. Fortunately Hermione removed her jelly-legs jinx before Ginny had to wobble very far.

In fact, the day passed in such usual tones that had Ginny not known Harry very well, she might have thought he'd forgotten about his birthday entirely. But of course Ginny _did_ know Harry, and he _hadn't _forgotten his birthday. If her reading of him was correct, in fact, it was all Harry had been thinking about for the past few days.

There was a line of tenseness around his jaw that grew firmer as the week progressed. His expression grew – if that were possible – even more closed off. As the day's shadow's lengthened, Ginny watched Harry retreat into himself and sighed with the helplessness of one who could do nothing.

He missed Sirius, of course. They all did, but Harry missed him most of all. He was the parent/uncle/older brother that Harry never had. The one he could turn to in his darkest hour and ask for advice. The one who could not be here with him on the day he turned sixteen.

Ginny remembered that afternoon in the library when Harry had looked so completely, utterly alone that Ginny felt the need to ask the one question she hated the most – _are you okay?_ Ginny shook her head from her place on the lawn where she was watching the Trio practice. She hated that question, hated it because if there was a reason someone was asking you it, there was never a good answer to give.

Lying and saying, "oh yes, I'm fine" was the cheap way out. It put people at arm's length and forced you to keep the pain inside. And yet when your pain was personal and couldn't be shared, it was the only answer you could give.

It was the answer Harry most often gave, and Ginny herself, and it was the answer Harry had given her that afternoon when she brought him his Easter egg.

And yet Ginny had persisted, and finally Harry had admitted that he wanted to talk to Sirius, and so Ginny had gone to Fred and George knowing that they could help. And more importantly, knowing that Harry might actually _accept _their help. She doubted he would have accepted hers.

He had seemed so much better the next day, too. Though Ginny still had no idea what he had talked to Sirius about, his entire body appeared to release some sort of strain. A tenseness that was eating him up from the inside.

That same tenseness was back now, only it was doubled a hundred-fold. She knew that Harry blamed himself for Sirius's death, and knew that he had no right too. It was Sirius's decision to go to the Ministry that night, and taking that choice away from him made him less than the person he was.

She wanted to talk to Harry about this, a painful lesson but a needed one, and yet had no idea how too. And with the recent animosity between them, even though Harry seemed to trust her now marginally more than before, Ginny felt her chances of having a serious conversation with him were slim to none.

So Ginny didn't talk, she simply sat watching him, Ron and Hermione practice their spellwork with extra intensity that day. It was defensive work, and Tonks shot spells at them to test their shields. "Protego" rang out across the lawn so often, Ginny was sure she'd hear the spell being cast in her dreams.

Tonk's attacks moved higher and higher in intensity. She started with simple spells such as jelly-legs and engorgio, then moved up to things like obliviate and deletrius. Ginny breathed deeply to summon her 'magic vision', and shuddered as she watched spell after spell collide against the Trio's shields.

By the time dinner was served; Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Tonks were a shuddering, sweating, exhausted bunch, but Ginny couldn't help but notice that some of the tenseness was gone from Harry's face. He appeared too tired to press his guilt tonight, and from the wink a worn-out Tonks shot her, Ginny was sure that had been the purpose all along.

Supper passed in that same normal, tired state; though Ginny caught Harry glancing several times at her mum, as if watching for any sign that she had something planned for the 'morrow. But mum was engaged in another tug-of-war with Bill about his hair, and nothing appeared unusual.

Sleep that night came neither easily nor restfully to Ginny. She was still worried about Hiss, concerned about what the wards would try and do to him when she attempted to sneak him through. They had to get him from one shielded area to another without any time to spare, and with no way to contact Dumbledore, and without knowing where else to turn, Ginny felt she had no choice but to try.

Hiss didn't appear too concerned - he fell asleep almost instantly, leaving Ginny to toss and turn.

As the lights went out and even breathing settled across the house, Ginny found her thoughts turning towards Sirius. This was about the time of night when they would meet in front of the fire at Headquarters. Not every night, of course, but most nights before Harry came Ginny would lie restlessly in her bed, unable to sleep, and would finally give up and head downstairs for a warm cup of cocoa. Sirius would usually be there, and they would sit up for half the night talking in low tones, so as not to wake the rest of the house.

She learned many interesting things on those nights. The details of Sirius' escape from Hogwarts, the extent of Pettigrew's betrayal, and the way Ron had bravely stood in front of Harry, balanced precariously on one leg and declared, "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!"

Sirius had laughed after that story, and Ginny had glanced into his puppy dog eyes and knew he was thinking, _I had friends like that once …_

Professor Lupin had come for breakfast the next morning, and Ginny had watched with a smile as Sirius personally cooked his friend eggs and bacon, and knew that he was enjoying the last, best friend he had.

And now Lupin was the only one left, Ginny thought as she wrapped a pillow around her head, trying to force herself to sleep, with Peter Pettigrew currently worse than dead.

She so badly wanted to get up and go downstairs. A part of her almost believed she would see Sirius there, sitting morosely in front of the fireplace. She would make him a hot cocoa, and he would smile at her in that tired, painful way and thank her. Ginny always felt that somehow that smile was hers, though he shared it with Professor Lupin, too. It was the smile from one being who has gone through hell to another.

When Ginny did finally sleep that night, it was to dreams punctuated by low, growling noises and intermittent images of the tattery wooden swing bridge. The bridge looked as if it had been casually sewn back together by an unskilled hand, and Ginny hesitated to cross it. The fire on the other side was roaring even louder than she remembered, and yet she felt that same strange urge of longing. Cautiously, Ginny stepped back onto the weakened wooden planks …

… and was awoken by the thumping of a fist across her door. Ginny groaned and rolled over, but a gruff yet familiar voice yelled at her, "Get _up_ Ginny!"

Ginny blinked and sat up in bed. "Charlie?"

There was no direct answer, but a noisy _humph_ answered from beyond her bedroom, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps on the stair.

Smiling now, Ginny hurried to throw on a pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt. She looped her long red hair into a ponytail as she leapt down the stairs, skidding into the kitchen with a bright grin on her face.

"Charlie!"

Her second oldest brother turned towards her and scowled. "You've gotten spoiled since I left," he twisted to look at the twins, both already seated at the table, "I told you's to get her up early in the morning."

Fred shrugged, "We tried to jinx her alarm clock early by two hours, but ended up putting it back instead."

Ginny grinned and settled into a seat across from Charlie. "You'll just have to stay at home more often, then. No one else can quite manage your authoritatively irritated _humph_."

Bill, at the head of the table, laughed, and Charlie glared at him. Mum carried over a plate from the stove, loaded high with blueberry flapjacks. George eagerly reached for one, but mum slapped his hand away.

"George! I told you five minute ago, you're waiting until Harry comes down. Fred! That means you too. Nobody touches the food without risking severe cleaning duty."

"Aw _mum_," Fred complained as he stared at the steaming flapjacks, "Harry won't be up for hours yet. Come on, just one for the tummy to help hold us over."

But Ginny, pouring herself a glass of milk from the jug on the table, shook her head, "Ron's getting him up just now," she replied without thinking, "thirty seconds and he'll be down – tops."

The table turned to look at her, and Charlie frowned. "I didn't hear them up."

_Uh oh_, Ginny thought to herself. _I heard them, didn't I?_ Ginny looked back at Charlie, seeing now the slight tingle of extra-vision that hovered on her sight. The thin thread was visible again, pulling towards the ceiling this time. Glancing up, she could 'see' – or more like 'feel' – Harry just getting out of bed. For a moment, she even felt Ron pulling on her arm. _Damn_, she thought, looking quickly back at the table, _I'm going to have to learn to control this._ She had, after all, just jumped out of bed. She'd have to take a few minutes in the morning to orientate herself. Had she dreamed of Harry during the night? She couldn't remember.

"So I was up after you," Ginny shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant, "big deal."

The rest of the table seemed to accept that, but Charlie still stared at her, frowning. Ginny hurried to think of some way to reply, but a moment later Ron and Harry could clearly be heard descending from the upper floor.

Mum unloaded another batch of flapjacks, and smiled widely at Harry as he appeared in the kitchen, flanked by her youngest son.

"Happy sixteenth birthday, Harry dear!" She exclaimed, walking forwards to capture him in a hug. The table winced in sympathy, but Harry didn't seem to mind.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," he said after a moment, extracting himself from her grasp even as Fred called out, "Oi mum – you're suffocating the kid."

Harry looked over at the table and smiled. He looked more rested that he had all week, thanks to Tonk's training session Ginny was willing to bet, but there were still dark circles under his eyes. He came and sat next to Charlie, eying the flapjacks appreciatively.

Ron wasn't nearly so controlled. Taking his seat beside Ginny, he immediately started loading food onto his plate.

"Where's Hermione?" Bill asked, glancing back up the stairs. Ron started to reply, but his mouth was already full of flapjacks. "Mgshharghgh"

Mum slapped him, and Harry grinned. Ron rolled his eyes and pointed outside. Ginny leaned across him to stare out the kitchen window. Sure enough, Hermione was out on the yard, just walking towards the kitchen now. Ginny waved at her, and her friend waved back. She looked distracted, but as Ginny was craning her neck to see out the window in the first place, she couldn't be too sure.

Mum looked up as she came in the back door. "Hermione! When did you get up, dear, I've been here since dawn. Oh and sit down, there's flapjacks. Blueberry for Harry's birthday."

Hermione gave her a smile – _definitely distracted_, Ginny thought to herself – and sat down across from Ron, shifting a pancake to her plate. "I got up just before dawn, Mrs. Weasley," she answered, "Ron, chew with your mouth closed!"

The table laughed and everyone took turns snatching more flapjacks. As Ginny leaned over to take the plate, Hermione caught her eye. Her friend looked at her with intensity, obviously trying to say something no one else at the table would catch. Ginny stared at her, but didn't understand what she wanted. Was she feeling okay?

Ginny raised her eyebrows in concern, but Hermione shook her head slightly. She flickered her gaze outside and then back to Ginny. In a flash Ginny understood – Hermione wanted to have a private word with her after breakfast.

Ginny tried not to frown as she turned back to her flapjacks, but she couldn't help feeling a tingle of worry at the urgency in Hermione's expression.

For the next few moments, only the sound of chewing filled the Burrow, but then Mum gave a sigh of relief and Ginny looked up. Mum was staring at the clock on the wall, and Ginny could see that dad's indicator had moved from 'work', to 'travel'. Another second and it landed on 'home'.

Mum turned to look at the back door, and sure enough Dad could be seen coming up the lawn. He was carrying a rather large sack over one arm and looked exhausted, but smiled to see his family – minus one, plus two – in the kitchen together.

"Arthur!" Mum exclaimed as she hurried forward to take his cloak and the sack. "All night at the office _again_?"

Dad gave mum a weary smile and sat gratefully at the table across from Bill. He took a plate of flapjacks, and loading them with syrup as he spoke. "It wasn't all work, Molly dear. I, uh," he lowered his voice, almost unconsciously glancing around the table, "_arranged_ our transportation for this afternoon."

Harry looked over and frowned. "Transportation?"

Dad started cutting up his flapjacks. "Yes – had to nip over to Hogwarts and get Dumbledore to make us a set of portkeys to take to Headquarters." His voice had lowered again, "I couldn't make them myself, so –"

But Harry interrupted him, staring at her dad. "Headquarters, this _afternoon_?" A tone of anguish entered his voice, "But I thought we weren't going till tomorrow."

"No, no, this afternoon." Mum bustled off to the stove, creating a new stack of flapjacks to replace the expired pile on the table, "And we're leaving before four, so I want you all in your rooms packing directly after breakfast. No time for dillydally – I want _nothing_ left behind this time."

Ginny looked over to Harry, stark pain evident on his face. She glanced at Ron and Hermione, and saw they were confused at the change of plans. _I thought we were going tomorrow, too …_

Fred and George spoke up from their end of the table. Neither looked put-off. "We've already got our stuff at the Shop, mum," said George. "We'll hope over there just after breakfast," continued Fred.

"Fine, fine," nodded mum, looking distracted as she loaded more flapjacks onto the table. "Eat up, and then off to your room's to pack. Oh and Harry dear," Ginny looked up to see mum smile fondly, "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied, looking much less enthusiastic than he had only a few minutes ago. Ron and Hermione shot him comforting glances, but Harry was already looking back at his plate, and gave no indication of having seen.

Ginny finished her breakfast, and paused – not knowing what to do. Should she go outside and wait for Hermione anyways? Or should she head back up to her room? Before she could decide, mum saw her sitting and snapped, "Pack, Ginny! You heard me before. Everything you want to take in a trunk. Bring your bedroom things too, and call me up when you want something shrunk."

Ginny tried to catch Hermione's eye as she walked her empty plate to the sink, and then headed back up to her room. Hermione, however, was already moving up the stairs with Ron and the two were conversing in quiet whispers. Harry was ahead of them.

_It must not be that important_, Ginny told herself as she entered her room. Hiss was waiting for her, curled up on the edge of her bed. At her entrance, he cracked one eye open.

"Sssomething wrong?" He asked, sitting up and cracking his jaw. Ginny turned towards her closet, wondering if something was. Then it hit her … headquarters' – this afternoon!

Ginny turned back to Hiss, "Mum's moved ahead of schedule. Don't know why, but we're heading to Headquarters this afternoon."

Hiss blinked, but accepted the situation with a snake's effortless grace. "I think I'll go into the garden, little sssnake. I mussst ensssure the local rodent populationsss do not easssily forget me."

But Ginny walked back to her bed and dropped to her knees before him. "Hiss, are you _sure_ you want to risk this? There must be some other way, I should stop all this worrying and go to Mad-Eye. He'll know if Dumbledore …"

But Hiss silenced her with a stare. "Ginny," he said after a moment, and the use of her first name startled her, "do no sssuch thing. We mussst enter together, we mussst make a point."

"What point? I don't understand! And whatever it is, it's not worth your life!"

But Hiss merely looked at her. "Sssome thingsss are, Ginny. And I think thisss isss one of thossse thingsss."

Ginny tried to think of something else to say, but couldn't. So she tried to believe him, but couldn't do that either.

Hiss rose from the bed, and slithered to the window. "I am going to hunt," he told her matter-a-factly, "join me later if you can. I would we teach thessse vermin a lessssion together."

Ginny raised her eyes to look at him. "I will," she promised.

Hiss slithered out the window with barely a sound.

Ginny sighed and slowly rose from the floor. She turned back to her wardrobe, determined to pack everything she owned as quickly as possible.

_- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

_Hey All …_

_Okay, onto comments! I, like all writers, _love _reviews. They make the act of writing that much more enjoyable. _

_I'll go in order: _**Comet Moon** – _sounds like a good plan for HBP! Don't think I could stay to simply listen to it the first time though .. it's so slow!! But then again, that way you don't miss things. Sometimes when I read I read too fast, and then I miss crucial details. Like .. why is Cedric falling down? Ohhhhh… (lol)_

_**Weselan**, are you a new reader? Welcome aboard! You'll see Dumbledore soon enough, but we all know how much he can say, and yet not say, at the same time … (cackles evilly)_

**_Magsluvsaragorn_**_ – lol, so you got to read two new updates at once! Lucky you! And thanks for the med school plug … fingers are crossed .._

_**SeleneA** – Glad you liked Bill. Again, original credit for individual feelings between the siblings goes to others. After I read that story on SIYE, I couldn't think of Bill or Charlie acting any other way with Ginny! _

_**Inappropriate Goat** – first, I LOVE your name. Hilarious! I will say nothing as to your inference, for if I say yes or no either way – it'll ruin something! But of course Ginny and Harry will fight … he needs someone to whip him into shape. And the transfiguration of Fawkes I can say "definitely no – but good idea!" There's another explanation there …. _

_**Blyker** – damn, you found my weakness – math. You're right, Harry is practicing magic a bit before his 16th birthday, but 1) it's at the Burrow, so wards disguise exactly who does what, and 2) he's the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Kick-Voldemorts-Ass, so the Ministry is being easy on him_

_**Nymph-Patronus** – you read my apology up top, right? You also deserve credit for reviewing and reminding me to write!!! She doesn't ask for Harry's help because, partly she doesn't trust him or he her, and also because there's nothing Harry could do. Hiss can't wait outside even for the time it would take to get Dumbledore. Besides, there is another 'point' to be made, that Hiss understands and Ginny doesn't. They have to go in together, and I think that'll be next chapter –which is about half done now. So not much longer before you find out!_

Okay, that's all for now. I'll post this, head to the gym, do a bit of homework (groan – I reserve a dark piece of my soul for biology labs) and then write some more of chapter 16. A lot of this chapter was set up again, so the next one will be a biggie!

Remember – review review review!!!! And if any of you also read SIYE, I'm posting this story there. I'd still like thoughts on the few changes I've made to the other chapters, so you could post them on SIYE since you can't re-review old chapters on

Life Love Laughter!

Rain


	17. 16 Paddock and Portkey

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only worship JKR!**

**Chapter Sixteen - Paddock and Portkey**

Ginny found Hiss in the paddock four hours later. She hadn't realized how much sheer mass had been stuffed into that tiny room of hers. After packing away everything she owned – she would not leave anything for some adventurous deatheater to find – Ginny had gone looking for her mum. She had found her in the kitchen, packing away the last of the dishes with a watery sniffle. After mum had shrunk all her furniture, Ginny had tucked the miniaturized pieces into the last compartment of her trunk and hauled the entire contraption downstairs. It wasn't yet late, perhaps two or three o'clock, and Ginny knew she had time to meet with Hiss. But before she left her house – possibly for the last time – Ginny tried to walk around and enjoy her home.

Yet the longer she dawdled inside the slowly emptying building, the more it felt less like a home and more like a place she once lived. The family pictures were gone from the walls, the clock had been moved from its ancient place in the kitchen, and even the upstairs linen closet where she had surprise-attacked Bill had been emptied. All traces of Percy had been stripped from his room – even the things Hermione and Tonks had left there were gone. Packed into boxes. Ginny felt as if most of her life had been packed into boxes.

The only thing left unchanged was the backyard – even the chicken pens were gone from the front – and it was here that Ginny took an extra moment to orient herself.

_We'll be back_, she told herself as she stared at the herb garden. How many hours had she whittled away here? _We're just taking a short vacation._ Ginny walked half-way to the paddock, the turned and glanced back at the house. From the outside, the Burrow looked almost normal. But something was off – there was a presence missing. An angry howl echoed across the lawn as the ghoul banged against the pipes. Ginny smiled and turned back to the path, wondering if the ghoul would leave shortly after they did, or if he would stay to wander the empty house. Perhaps he'd scare off a DE or two. Ginny hoped he was still there if – no, _when_ – they came back. It would be too quiet with him gone.

Entering the paddock, Ginny found Hiss intertwined amongst the oak roots. He looked satisfied, but lacked the distinctive bulge of a solid meal. He noted Ginny's gaze and flicked his tongue self-satisfactorily. "I whetted my appetite waiting for you, little sssnake. How much time do we have left?"

"Around two hours," Ginny replied, walking over to the oak tree. She would miss this oak tree, this paddock …. "Are we really going to hunt?" She asked to get her mind off brooding.

Hiss stretched and sat up, "We are indeed, little sssnake. I ssshould teach you the basssicssss now that you have learned to properly sssmell your prey. Ussssually thisss sssort of firssst-hunt would take place at New Moon, when all isss dark and sssilent." He flicked his tail in annoyance as another angry _bang!_ drifted across the backyard. "But we do not have much time."

"Uh, but Hiss," Ginny told him somewhat apologetically as he slithered out from under the roots, "I don't really want to eat mice."

Hiss ignored her, slithering forwards towards the edge of the forest instead of replying and flicking his tail, indicating that she should follow him.

"I also can't go into the forest!" Ginny whispered, hurrying towards him.

This time Hiss answered her, communicating mostly via tongue and tail, trying not to speak. "We will not go far. We must enter quietly and sssilently. The sssun iss high, but there are ssshadowss here. You are large, but mussst learn to blend. Make the dark placesss your companion. Meet your ssshadow, and lay ssstill." He slithered forward.

Ginny took a deep breath, in through her nose, out through her mouth, and followed.

It had been almost two years since she had entered the quasi-forest surrounding the Burrow. Before deatheater's were an everyday risk, Ginny used to play here often. She knew the patterns the shadows played during the daylight hours, and even the early dark. And yet, as she entered quietly as she could, something seemed different this afternoon. Perhaps it was the squashed fear of DE's lurking just out of sight, but more likely it was something more potent. This journey had the feeling of ritual to her.

It was indeed darker just under the foliage. Ginny watched where she put her feet, avoiding any dry sticks and ducking under low branches. She might be small for a girl her age, but she was huge for a snake. Just inside the undergrowth she paused, letting her eyes adjust to the dimmed light.

Ginny breathed deeply, slowly; the forest felt at once alien and comforting to her. She searched the floor for Hiss, seeing again the tingle of second vision on her sight. She saw his luminous form before she saw his physical self. Though she kept the vision dulled, Hiss almost made her gasp.

Her friend was a tightly woven mass of criss-crossing green, black and blue power, with the subtle hint of violet amongst the shades. His magic was solid though, more earthy that Hermione's gusty form, or Ron's watery parade. He held himself taunt, and yet Ginny could see the undercurrent of joy striding through his form. He was a being perfectly aligned with his own nature. Ginny knew she had much to learn from him.

Moving towards him as silently as she could, Ginny crouched and shifted her way amongst the forest floor. Hiss never looked at her, but kept his eyes peering forwards, sideways, and back. Every now and then, his tongue darted out to silently taste the air.

"Breathe deeply," his voice came to her quietly and full of purpose as she crouched awkwardly at the base of another large oak, "allow the sssmellsss to mingle with your normal sssenssse'sss. Grasssp the art of ssseeing, of sssmelling everything. Sssee the branches above your head, know them ssso they do not betray your presssence, and yet sssee passst them. Sssee into the tree, into the earth. Isss there rodent life hiding there?"

Ginny took another deep breath, fought past the errant thought that wondered what she was doing here, and tried to do as Hiss said. She summoned her second vision, and glanced at the tree beside her.

Too much, too much! The sheer life-force of the forest blinded her, and Ginny had to dart out her hand to rescue herself before she fell backwards off her heels. Her hand made contact with the stiffness of the bark, and somehow that settled her. Ginny tried to remember the world as it looked when it was normal. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing without magic again. Then she took another breath and opened her second vision. This time, the balance between the two was better.

With new eyes, Ginny looked at her surroundings. She stared widely, never having imagined the world could be so full of magic – it was everywhere!

It was in the trees, in the earth, in the small plants and the insects too. It was muted and uncontrolled, but it grew and pulsed slightly with the hum of life. A flash of colour caught her, and Ginny concentrated to see a beautiful asphodel with big, starry pink flowers. In a flash, Ginny understood her first potions lesson. Yes – she could almost _see_ how asphodel might contribute to a Draught of Living Death. In fact, it now seemed so obvious in the way the particular magic of asphodel grew through the plant; Ginny wondered how she had missed the connection before.

There were four years worth of potions knowledge suddenly crying out to her from the forest floor, but Ginny had been asked to find none of these. Hiss has said they were hunting, and that meant looking for animal life …

Again Ginny concentrated. She thought of mice, their pink noses and red eyes. She thought of their tiny feet pitter-pattering across the kitchen floor, and the way they squealed when Crookshanks caught one. She tried to keep her mind from one particular rodent – a rat she had fed and crooned too before his true existence had been revealed. She would _not_ think about Pettigrew, she would think instead about mice …

She thought about how their tiny hearts fluttered, how their fur came in so many colours, and felt so soft whenever she caught one in a trap. She thought about how they might look in the forest shadows, their pink noses dirty from digging. She thought about how they might rustle in the undergrowth, and what they might look like with her second sight.

After a moment of thinking these things, Ginny opened her eyes.

Again she had to 'dim' her second sight, as it nearly blinded her. But she kept her balance this time, and quickly found the mix she was looking for. As she concentrated on mice, the other magic in this place seemed to fade out. There was only one type she was probing for.

After a few moments of searching, Ginny found it.

There – at the base of the tree just across her line of sight – there was a sort of sniffing presence. Ginny listened hard, focusing all her senses on that tiny flicker. She heard a rustle in the undergrowth. It wasn't exactly like the rustle she had imagined, but she knew in an instant it was a mouse.

Unconsciously her breath slowed and deepened, she paused – caught in the riveting tenseness that was the Hunt. It didn't matter that she was human, or a witch, or crouching here beside an oak tree in shorts and an old t-shirt. The only thing that mattered was the oblivious sniffling rodent, and how imperative it was that she not give herself away.

Searching for morsels as usual, its tiny brain warring with the prospect of no food beneath this tree and the possibility of food that might lie a bit more out in the open, the mouse poked its nose out from the undergrowth and sniffed deeply. Ginny drew silently further into the shadows. She willed her scent not to give her away.

The mouse apparently sensed nothing out of the ordinary. With a daring, though foolish step, it edged out from the foliage. It was still early, no owls were out yet. And the mouse was hungry, its empty belly urging it further and further away from the safety of its burrow. It quickly scanned the skies again, its tiny brain somehow understanding that _here_ owls could be found at the most unusual times. But nothing flittered there.

The mouse crept forwards, its tiny pink nose alive on the ground, searching for food. Ginny tensed in her place in the shadows of the oak tree. She bent her knees noiselessly, and just when the mouse had sniffed all it dared and moved to turn away, she struck.

In a suddenly release of energy, Ginny leapt from her place behind the oak tree. She dove for the mouse, her hands taking the place of fangs and darting out to grasp hold of the tiny creature.

But the mouse was a little too fast for her. Human muscle's untrained for this deadly art fell short, perhaps two inches out of range as the terrified mouse scurried away. It dove into the comfort of its burrow, and lay shaking in its assembled nest.

Ginny knew she had missed her quarry, and she tried to duck her head and roll through her lunge. She was only half successful, and ended up sprawling forwards on the forest floor, the palms of her outstretched hands dirty and slightly scratched.

Hiss came slithering from his place by the oak, and Ginny winced as she sat up to look back at him. The absurdity of the situation hit her, and with a ringing laugh she released the last of the tension that had held her.

"I'm sorry," she gasped at Hiss, her breath coming out in waves of laughter, "I guess I'm ..." she snorted through her nose, and this only set her laughing harder, " … not cut out for hunting!"

Hiss twirled his tail in a smile, and his voice sounded amused. "You're dive wasss mossst impresssssive," he slithered onto her arm and up her small shoulders, "I don't believe I've ever ssseen anything quite like it."

Ginny giggled, and tried to stand, wincing a little as her knees protested. They, along with her palms, were filthy.

"Mum's going to kill me," she chuckled, trying to brush the dirt away from her knees. Some of it caked off, half-mud half-dirt, as the forest floor was slightly damp. "We're going to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and I look as if I was in a fist-fight."

Hiss wound himself across the back of her neck. When he spoke, his voice was a little more serious. "It wasss a very good effort for a firssst time, little sssnake. You're concentration wasss ssspecifically impressssive."

It was actually a little scary to think about it, how easy and natural it had all felt, but Ginny acknowledged this only on the very edges of her mind. It was something easier to laugh about then to think on. Ginny turned her head to grin at her friend, "Thanks Hiss, it was fun actually – though I scared that poor mouse out of its wits. I think it's learned its lesson."

Hiss grinned a snake's smile, "I believe it did, little ssssnake. One I am sssure it will never quite forget. In fact, I believe the image of you diving towardsss itsss ssshaking form sssshall be forever in my mind assss well."

Ginny laughed and turned them back towards the paddock. In truth they hadn't gone very far, and within seconds had crossed again from the half-shadowed forest into the brilliant afternoon sunlight.

A quick glance at the angle of the sun, however, revealed that they had been out far longer than she would have thought. Ginny turned back towards the Burrow and saw movement in the kitchen.

"It's probably almost time to go," she spoke softly to Hiss. He uncurled himself from her neck and wound back towards her ankle.

"Indeed it isss, little sssnake. Though it isss ssstill not quite four, they are waiting for usss."

Ginny sighed and bent down to lift her pant leg. Hiss crawled onto her right ankle and settled himself there. "You okay?" She asked him.

Hiss rested his head on his tail and closed his eyes in bliss. "Perfectly. If I am to die thisss afternoon, I would be happier no place elssse than by your ssside, little ssssnake. I will not leave you."

"That's right you won't!" Ginny agreed, a little more forcefully than she had intended. "And you're not going to die either. I am going to get us to Headquarters. One protected place to another, with no stops in between. And if you feel Tom calling to you, well you just tell him to _bugger off_, you hear me?"

Hiss flicked his tongue at her, "I did, little sssnake. In fact, I believe half the houssssehold heard you."

Ginny clamped a hand over her mouth and looked towards the Burrow. A mass of black hair had indeed turned her way, but Ginny doubted Harry had in fact heard anything. Sending a strong feeling of love down to Hiss, Ginny trooped them back towards the Burrow. The house still looked empty, but with her family waiting for her in the kitchen, Ginny felt it had some of its old spark back again.

"Ginny! Where were you? I've been calling! And what on earth did you do to your knees? Well no time to get cleaned up now. Get in, get in." Mum finally stopped to take a breath as she ushered Ginny into the kitchen. It seemed so much larger now, even with everyone standing together inside it.

"I wanted to look around," Ginny defended herself, though it was unnecessary as mum was already turning back to dad. He was handing out old candlesticks and broken butter beer bottles, and mum stood comparing each item to a piece of parchment. Bill, however, heard her, and gave Ginny a small encouraging smile.

Ginny smiled back, and then felt her insides tighten with fear as a broken goblet was thrust into her hands.

"Now," her father was saying, "each of you has a different portkey, one that has been tailored to your magical signature. It will take you to muggle London, in the alleyway beside Headquarters. The portkeys have been timed within a minute of each other. When you get to London, walk to between numbers eleven and thirteen. Think of the piece of paper you each read in which Professor Dumbledore wrote about Headquarters. When Headquarters appears, walk quickly to the door and enter. Wait in the front entrance for everyone to appear. I will take a head-count as soon as we all arrive." Dad looked to each of them in turn, "Got that?"

Ginny nodded shakily with the others, hoping her nervousness would be misinterpreted by the group. _Tailored to our magical signatures? Damn …_

Mum was looking at her watch. "Okay now," she checked the list again, "Bill's first. Ready Bill? Five … four … three … two …"

There was a sort of _pop_, kind of like when someone apparated, but it was mixed with a _whoosh _as Bill was snagged away. Ginny watched her eldest brother get jerked forward by his navel, and knew after a moment that he was in London.

Mum was looking back at her watch. "Charlie, you're next dear. Remember, if anything goes wrong …"

"I'll send the signal. I know mum."

Ginny started to panic. She felt Hiss clench around her ankle. If the portkeys were tailored only to them, then when she was whisked away, Hiss would remain. She couldn't allow that. But they couldn't stay here, especially by themselves. The wards wouldn't last much longer.

"Okay Charlie, get ready. Harry, you're next, dear." Mum paused, then, "Five … four … three … two …" There was another _whoosh-pop_, and Charlie, too, was gone.

_Think_, Ginny told herself desperately. She was breathing hard now, and unbidden her magical vision swam before her eyes. Glancing down to her ankle, Ginny saw Hiss coiled there, a tight ribbon of energy.

"Ready Harry? Remember go _straight_ to the door, dear. I'm sure everything is fine, but you never know … No signal from Charlie or Bill, though, thank Merlin. Ready now? Five … four … three … two …"

Ginny was still staring at Hiss. Hermione looked at her concerned, but Ginny hardly noticed the motion. An idea was beginning to form in the back of her mind … it was crazy … it had never been done before … there was no way she could hold him through a portkey ….

"Hermione honey, you hold tight next. Ron, don't fidget, you're right after her. No it's too late to change the order, so don't look at me like that. Ready Hermione? Five … four …"

She had no choice; she had to at least try. Taking another deep breath, Ginny let her magical vision fill her mind's eye. She concentrated on Hiss, memorizing his every criss-crossing strand of magical energy, and then closed her eyes. She fought to keep the image there in her mind's eye. _See him_, she told herself, _he's right there, picture him clearly …_

"Okay Ron, your turn. Ginny dear, you're next now. Yes yes Ron … and I told you to stop fidgeting! Hold tight, now. Another moment … alright. Five … four … three … two …" _Whoosh-pop_.

Ginny had completely tuned herself out from the Burrow. Her mother's voice was just another part of the darkness that swam before her. A darkness that showed her nothing but her friend. Hiss filled her vision.

In her mind's eye, Ginny then pictured herself. She saw herself reach forward and take Hiss into her arms. He relaxed into her embrace, and she remembered all the times they had sat together in the paddock, how he had rested on her warm flesh. She took them into those memories now. She would hold him. She would protect him. He was coming with her and nothing, not even a portkey, could take him away …

… Vaguely, Ginny heard mum counting down for her now. She tightened her hold on Hiss, praying that it would be enough …

"Ready Ginny? Five … four … three … two …"

Ginny felt a jerk around her navel, but she also _saw_ a strand of thick white energy. It was reaching towards her from some place far beyond what she could see. The cord of magic wrapped around her body, protecting her head, cradling her neck to reduce whiplash. When it reached her chest though, it stopped.

Ginny willed it forwards. She held Hiss in her hands; she covered him with her arms. _He is here, but he is a part of me_, she thought desperately, _take him with us …_

The portkey magic seemed confused. Outside this inner struggle, Ginny could hear her mother starting to worry.

"What's going on? Arthur, look at her – she's fading in and out! Something's wrong …"

Yes something was wrong. The portkey was backing off, it was denying her. Something wasn't right. It had been programmed for a very specific frequency, and this energy was off, not quite on target. Only slightly, but this magic had been made by Dumbledore, _slightly_ meant quite a fair bit …

_No!_ Ginny thought. She held Hiss tighter in her arms, _he's not here, you don't see him, he's not here …_

The magic paused … re-evaluating the situation. The frequency was changing again. Not only that, but it was growing in amplitude. The power-waves would have astonished the portkey, had it been capable of thought. Lucky for Ginny and for Hiss, however, it was not.

_He's not here … you can't see him … he's not here … you can't see him … he's not here …_

Had there been something wrong? The target appeared again with the prescribed frequency. The portkey would have shrugged, had it shoulders. Instead it wrapped itself around the target. Contact had been established, following original protocols …

Ginny felt the energy wrap around them. She held tighter onto Hiss, maintaining her mantra, _he's not here …you can't see him … he's not here … _she willed the energy to believe her … it seemed to be working …

There was another tug at her naval, and this time there was no pause. Ginny felt herself rushing forwards, the world became a blur of magical energies, each of them intertwined to form a tunnel that raced her through space. Ginny caught mind-tearing glimpses of other people, other places through which they past. It was all to fast – too much! She tried to close her eyes, but the vision was in her mind, seen with her magic. If she shut it off, she would lose her hold on Hiss. Her grip was precarious at best. Ginny hugged her friend tighter as the visions tore by … she wanted to scream out in pain …

And then it was over. With a jerk, Ginny fell to the ground. There were lose pebbles beneath her palms, hands already abused cried out in physical pain.

The pain tore her mind from its agonizing ride. She was surprised to find her hands out in front of her; she had thought she was still holding Hiss …

Hiss! Quickly, Ginny reached down and felt for her friend. He was there, still wrapped around her ankle. He appeared shaken, though. He was holding himself onto her so tightly she felt momentary fear for her bones. But Ginny hardly felt the pain; she was too elated that it had worked. She was here, in London, _with Hiss_ …

Hiss, too, seemed to realize they had made it through the harrying journey. Just as he started to relax, however, he tensed again. Ginny, halfway raised to her feet, paused. What was wrong?

But then she felt it. It appeared on the edges of her senses, not quite a sound, not really a vision, more like some terrible caricature of each. It had a distinctive feel to it though, a feel with which she was far, far too familiar …

Darting forwards, Ginny sprinted out of the alley. She turned right and ran down the London street, looking desperately for number eleven. Hiss was violently spasming now. The waves of thought, of energy reached out to caress hear, but Ginny fought them away. They were seductive and painful, but did not seem quite pitched to her ears. Or her mind. There was an _off_ quality to them. Hiss, however, seemed to hear it all magnified infinitum. He was losing his grip on her ankle now; Ginny could feel him slipping off into the magic that assaulted him.

_Bugger _off_, Tom!_

Reaching down, trying not to slow her pace, Ginny picked Hiss off her ankle. His eyes were half-closed, and he jerked in her hands. Ginny held him close, her eyes darting across the houses.

_Number nine, number ten, number eleven …_

Number eleven!

Ginny stopped suddenly, hoping beyond hope that the hard part was over, that she could get Hiss inside where he would be safe. Unfortunately for them both, the hard part had only just begun ….

_----_

_----_

_----_

_Hey All,_

_Another chapter! I'm trying to keep on a weekly schedule here. Keeps me writing ;-)_

_And now for some reader response:_

_**Comet Moon** – thanks for saying you'll also review at SIYE. I wonder if you'll notice any of the slight differences? Nothing much yet … the things I felt like changing actually sounded rather good when I read them. Mostly I cleaned up grammar, and once changed the POV_

_**Paige2310** – Ginny's magical-sight thing is something like seeing auras, but twisted. She sees 'magic', and how it moves in a person. How it's controlled. It'll be coming up a fair bit, giving us a different look into people's personalities and things. _

_**Weselan** – Yay new reader! giggle Ahh Hiss .. everyone's favourite character so far. I'm glad you all like him, he pretty much wrote himself. As for bad things happening – well he's not having an easy time of it, is he? Bad Voldie!_

_**Mindy** – lol, love it when people review twice.  And thank you for the Ron quote! Definitely high praise! Yes, adventure is the overriding storytheme, mostly because so much has to have plot-wise, that if I focused too much on romance the plot would never go anywhere! It's slow enough as it is, my penchant for detail. blushes And yes, I do like to draw out the storyline. I'm wondering if people can guess what's going to happen before the end … hopefully I can protect most of the details. grins_

_**Tina** – you gotta give me more than that, honey! But thanks for the encouragement. Hope you liked this chapter._

_**SeleneA** – Ahh Charlie. He doesn't go away soon, but he's not really a focus point. I'll bring him in when I can though. Mostly when Ginny needs a good thwack on the head ;-)_

_**Vixen519** –he he, love the name. Thanks for the compliment!_

_**Nymph-Patronus** – lol – glad I can supply your Ginny-fix! My life is saved!! Ginny's so-called 'powers' are very interesting … I don't really see them as powers, so much as exploring more with her magic. Harry could see the same if he learned how. How important her abilities will be to the war, however, I can't really say. Obviously there's a place for them, or I wouldn't have written them in. But she's not about to lead a snake army against Voldemort, especially with his ability to charm back even her best friends. This chapter gave you the hint that her Potions mark will certainly go up, though! I know we've been long at the Burrow, but I can't see Headquarters taking too long before we're at Hogitty Hogwarts. I had to set everything up first, and the best place to do that was the Burrow._

_**Sic-itur-ad-astra** – wild name! What does it mean, Mindy? I'm updating, I'm updating!! And the next chapter is written, but it's crying for more thought. So it'll be probably a week. Don't hurt me! snicker_

_sigh I LOVE reviews. So feeeeeeed me. Feeeeeed the button! Become a button-feeding-monster. You need me to finish the story so feeeeeed!!!_


	18. 17 Painn with Purpose

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only worship JKR!**_

**Chapter Seventeen**

Ginny ran between the lots of number eleven and thirteen. She concentrated with all her might on the slip of paper she had read last year. The paper that had been written specifically for her by Dumbledore: _The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London. The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at number twelve …_

There! Ginny increased her pace as a weary and battered door was birthed between lots eleven and thirteen, each house squeezing to one side of the newly visible building. Without pause, Ginny ran up the worn stone steps. Her blood was pounding in her ears, and her chest heaved with every forced breath. Her head was still spinning from the harrowing trip, and she was quickly developing a splitting headache. But Ginny pushed these minor pains to the back of her mind. Hiss was still convulsing in her hand, and Ginny focused on getting him to safety.

The door, told to recognize her, opened. Ginny dashed up the last steps, seeing nothing in front of her but sanctuary. Her left foot crossed the doorway …

… and a whip-lashing pain seared up her spine.

Ginny writhed as a lightening-force tore into her. She had stuck some invisible barrier, and it held her between the doorway of Grimmauld Place like a strung marionette, striking at her with fury.

Ginny tried to scream but couldn't, the pain stole all sounds from her throat, sucked all the air from her lungs. In her hands, Hiss writhed.

_Nooo!_ Ginny shouted, but only in her mind. The charm wasn't going to let them in; Dumbledore didn't trust her after all …

_No_, Ginny declared, gathering herself together despite the pain. The charm lashed at her, but she struggled to beat past it. If she could just move her foot, she could make it inside. She could protect Hiss, like she had promised. Just a little bit further …

The pain increased ten-fold – pulling, twisting at her muscles until Ginny was forced to stop pushing herself forwards. Her back arched as her muscles contracted in forced spasms. Ginny's hands loosened their grip, but she managed to keep a hold on her friend. She protected him from the frying blasts by the strength of her love. The force field lightening tore at her, but Ginny held onto consciousness with purpose. She could beat this, she had too; he was a _friend_, he was _safe …_

_TRAITOR!_ The force field thundered at her, its magic pounding with a physical force that somehow left the impression of sound on her mind. _YOU HAVE BROUGHT AN UNKNOWN!_

_No!_ Ginny shouted back at the magic, trying desperately to think around the pain. _A friend – he's a friend!_

_TRAITOR!_ The magic shouted again. It pounded at her mercilessly.

Ginny became aware that she was being pushed backwards, away from the doorway. She struggled towards it again, but the magic would have none of it. _YOU WERE ADMITTED ENTRANCE, YET YOU HAVE BETRAYED US!_ The voice now had a Dumbledore-edge to it. If that was what Dumbledore sounded like in a rage ...

Yet the change in tone of voice only spurred Ginny on. This was the voice she had trusted, the voice she had believed in. She had risked expulsion for this voice, had cried in its office, had been comforted by its melodious sound. And yet this was the voice that had named her an enemy. The voice that had betrayed her. She would show him – would show them all what and who she was, and who Hiss was too.

_HE IS A FRIEND!_ She shouted back at the magic. The pain increased again, but Ginny fought against it. _I can _beat_ this_, she told herself as her mind grew dim. It would be so much easier to give up … _No! Tom did worse, didn't he? He practiced Crucio on me, he practiced without a wand, in my own head … that was far worse that this. I can _beat_ this …_

She was still guarding Hiss. The magic seemed to sense this, or simply realized that it couldn't break her without doing permanent nervous damage to her spine. Instead the force field turned its semi-awareness towards Hiss.

_NO!_ Ginny shouted again as she felt the magical energies coalesce in a directed attack against her friend. _I won't let you hurt him – he's innocent, he's only here because of me – I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!_

But she couldn't stop the magic. She wasn't powerful enough. It was building into a slamming force. It would as good as kill Hiss – it would throw him back outside where Tom would reach him. Ginny watched in helpless fury, struggling to stay conscious, as it dove towards her friend. She would give anything, _anything _to save him …

Ginny opened her heart, opened her mind completely in a last, desperate attempt to help her best friend. She would take everything, every last ounce of magic she had, and she would push that force back for as long as she could. Dumbledore must have been aware of her attempt to bring something else into Headquarters by now. He would come and save them, or so she hoped …

But she could hold nothing back. With conscious effort, Ginny released that hope, released everything she had to fight for her friend. She relaxed into the pain, released her fury and her desperate fear. She felt her magic gathering at the base of her spine. She felt the last air in her lungs, the last strength in her body, join that emotional power. But it wouldn't be enough, she knew, there had to be more. There had to be more power here somewhere …

Suddenly Ginny had a mental image of her dream bridge, as frayed and dangerous as ever, swinging across the chasm of unmeasured depths. And yet this time Ginny threw herself across the bridge without a moment's hesitation, not even bothering to look down. The fire was there, bright and furious, and it was calling to her. She had released all the inhibitions that had kept her from that flame. She had dimmed its cry in her mind, but it was always there. Had always _been_ there. And now it called to her with frightening power, and Ginny gave herself to it completely. She ran across the fraying bridge, and as she approached, the hungry wall of flame transformed from fiery red to a sudden, depthless green. Its call was stronger than ever, and Ginny hurled herself towards it with a cry of released tension, heedless of any danger. Heedless of anything except her desire to protect her friend, and the sweet, cold embrace as the fire took her.

She was past rational thought, and yet still she recognized she should have been burning by now, should have been thrashing in agony. But there was only the pervasive cold, and then something far below her rumbled to life. In her mind Ginny could hear a low and hissing yyyyYYY_YEEEEEESSSsssssssss!_

It was something half-remembered, as if from a dream. Or a nightmare. Ginny, hanging in the cold, had a sudden flashback of a shiny black floor, of Tom letting the basilisk loose on her. He had known that in her moment of death, her body would be his. She had been past fighting at that point, and so she had looked up into the basilisk's red eyes, and she had _not died …_

… and now as Ginny felt the power rise and flood from her, a power that warmed her as it left her, she realized with astonishment that she no longer felt any pain …

_Am I dying?_ She wondered, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. If this was dying, it wasn't so bad. She couldn't see what Tom had been afraid of. The cold had faded, and she hung now in only a comfortable darkness. There was a peaceful feeling in her heart. She felt as if she could hang here forever, submerged in a depthless darkness that comforted her. In this place there would be no more betrayal, no more Tom, no more Harry ...

Harry.

… there was a low rumble from somewhere beneath her. Ginny could feel a presence emerging from that depthless dark. It rose with majesty and power, climbing from the abyss until it sounded from all around her. Ginny felt the powerful something embrace her, it coiled around her trunk in a terrible yet comforting embrace. It was unbelievably strong, and felt vaguely reptilian. Were those scales scratching against her skin?

_Hiss?_ Ginny called out, but with faltering strength. The pain had left her, but a tremendous exhaustion had quickly taken its place. The darkness was no longer comforting, but instead seemed to collapse in onto her. _Hiss_ … Ginny fought her hold on consciousness. She was barely aware of her friend held tightly in her hands, but aware of him she was. He was no longer shaking, no longer afraid; but somehow she knew he was sad, terribly terribly sad, and yet also so very _proud_ …

She could fight the darkness of unconsciousness no longer. It called out to her, promising rest and relief. Ginny felt Hiss again in her hands, _he's okay …_

The darkness took her, took her and smothered her. And Ginny let herself be smothered.

-

_She was standing on a stone path, looking up at her Mansion House. The gates, inscribed with life-like snakes whose eyes glittered at her as she winked at them, parted before her uplifted hand. The lock that had held them tight had been released, and Ginny stepped into the yard filled with dead plants and broken pottery. She breathed in the free air and smiled as a vision of her father appeared beside her. Ginny didn't bother turning to look at him, but kept her eyes fastened on her Home. There was some major cleaning duty ahead, but at last she was back …_

_… the vision of her father smiled at her. 'Welcome home, Ginny …'_

-

"Ginny … _Ginny_ …!"

A voice called to her. The sound was harsh and unwelcome against her ears. She tried to ignore it, but there were several people around her, all shouting to be heard.

"What the hell what that!" and then, "What happened? Someone else beside her ear shouted, "Where's Dumbledore? – someone get Dumbledore!"

Ginny felt hands reached out to her. Their touch was frightening; it brought a painful rush of memories to her mind. _Too much … too fast!_

"Ginny! Oh Merlin, Ginny dear! Ginny honey …" The voice was shrill and filled with fear. With it came the memory of a homely woman with red hair and a tendency to nag … her mind convulsed at the image. The picture had led to other pictures, which lead to visions and feelings and sounds. A lifetime of memory's of the woman with red hair filled her, and some of them were sad and some of them were not … Ginny felt herself flinch as one particular image assaulted her, _'But Ginny? What's our Ginny got to do with – with – _him_?'_ …

"What the bloody hell? … Ginny! Merlin! What …?" This voice, too, was raised in fear. But with it came the image of an ungodly orange coloured jersey, and pain … too many years worth of pain …

"On the couch, the couch! Back off, boy … put her down there …" There was no fear in this voice, only sharp authority and an accompanying colour of electric blue. Did she think in colour now? If the mind hadn't been so concerned with organizing itself, it might have laughed.

Twinned voice rose in protest, "Not there – here! In front of the fire … she looks cold …"

There was a distinctive feel of movement, and then the oily smell of hair … "She is regaining consciousness," the voice was dry, supremely uncaring, and unsettlingly close. "If you want me to get her to the couch, and I move were I you."

A jarring shift of location and the sudden sense of rough texture launched Ginny's mind into a flurry of memories. This cloth, this _couch_ was uniquely familiar to her. She remembered a once-handsome man staring at a fire with haunted eyes …

"What happened to her?"

Simple words, spoken quietly, but their effect on her mind was terrible. Like the puff of a butterfly's wings causing a hurricane in China, the words stirred a furious storm of memories and thoughts and feelings. There were sounds / pictures / daydreams / nightmares / and sometimes, just sometimes, the soft touch of contact ….

Each of these memories pounced at once on her mind, each on the heels of the other, leaving no room for reason or cohesion or logical thought … _she _liked_ him she _missed_ him she _hated_ him she _loved_ him_ …

The mind – the girl, the girl named _Ginny_ – thrashed violently. The throat – there was a throat … there was in fact an entire body! – opened to hurl away a sharp scream.

A vase shattered somewhere to her right. A window off to her left. Several slaps could be heard as hands quickly covered eardrums. There was more than sound in that voice, there was terror and fear and _power_ …

Ginny trailed off as blood filled her mouth. She was coughing before she realized she had moved, and rolled over to keep the dark liquid from choking her. The sounds around her, which had paused momentary, began again; even increasing – if it were possible – in intensity. Ginny felt something, someone, grab at her. She fought them off instinctively.

She was confused. Who was she – _where_ was she? A vision of a stone-hewn chamber filled her mind. Words rose in her mouth, blood fell from her lips but she couldn't feel it, couldn't taste it, so lost was she in the memories …

"Get away from me, Tom!" She spat, the words sounding harsh and slippery in her mouth. Yet her tongue rolled over the unique syllables with natural grace. There was a sharp intake of breath from the people gathered round her.

Another hand reached out to grasp her. Ginny, adrift in a world only she could see, back away frantically from the touch. She was again on her feet and moving, but her legs were weak, and gave out from under her as she tried to step sideways. She expected to fall on a cold stone floor, but instead felt the rough texture of the familiar couch against her outstretched arms – _couch? There was never a couch in the Chamber_ … Hands reached at her once more, but again she fought them off. "Get away, get away! No more! I won't – no more, Tom! I won't do anythingand _you can't make me_!"

The couch had thrown her off balance, and she was weaker than her mind remembered. Suddenly she was pitching forwards. Strong hands caught her; a strong voice spoke back to her in hissing concern.

"He's gone, you're safe Ginny – you're _safe_."

That voice, the same voice as before. But her mind had quieted now. The panic of the chamber had forced it back into a pseudo-remembered state. New memories fought for their place in her ontogeny, and even as the strong arms pushed her back onto the familiar couch, her mind worked to re-organized itself. It was slightly different than before – just _slightly_ – but the voice that spoke to her now had an accompanying name, a picture even.

_Harry …_

There were too many pictures associated with this voice, too many memories for her to understand them all. But they were there, in her mind, just as he was here now …

And with this one organized memory came many more.

"Hiss …?"

The name itself was a question. Harry's voice paused before answering, and Ginny felt fear rush into her, giving her strength. She reached up to grasp the hands that held her, but Harry's voice quickly replied, "He's fine, he's okay. You're both going to be okay …"

Ginny believed him. She had too. She had nothing left with which to fight …

_You always were weak, Ginevra …_

The silky tones were the last thing she heard as unconsciousness gripped her.

-

Ginny awoke some unknown time later. Her head was pounding a staccato beat, but through the pain she could still feel the quick _one-two_ pulse on her ankle.

Relief swept through her. Ginny tried to reach down and feel her friend, but pain stopped her. Her arm felt as if it had been chewed off and then sewn back together by a trainee Healer without numbing potion. Her legs hurt too, come to think of it. In fact, _every_ part of her hurt …

Ginny groaned. There was a rustling of cloth beside her. She tried to open her eyes, but the lids felt heavier than lead. There was a movement of air, a quiet _swish_ of black cloth, and then the sound of a door creaking open, from somewhere down and to her right. Footsteps faded out into the hall.

The pulse on her ankle came again. Though it sent shivers of pain through her, Ginny's face cracked in a ghostly smile.

"Hiss?"

There was a weight sliding up her leg. Ginny shivered suddenly, caught in a half-remembered memory. Something had wrapped around her, had made the pain go away …

"Hiss?" There was worry in her voice now.

"Sssssshh. Little sssnake," the voice of her friend soothed her. "My dearessst friend, ssssshhh. Ressst."

"Wha…" her voice croaked, her mouth tasted terrible – as if she had drunk a half liter of disgusting potion – and her throat was sore. But it was still useable. She wet her lips as best she could with a dry tongue and tried again, "Whaaa happen'd?"

Hiss paused. Ginny tried again to open her eyes and look at him. "We are in Headquarterssss," he told her finally. Ginny managed to crack open her eyelids and see a blurry, yet familiar, green-hued shape, "You got usss through the barrier. You did very well, little sssnake."

She got them through. Ginny smiled again, but then stopped. And not because of the pain. Something was wrong. Hiss sounded upset, like some great sadness possessed him. Ginny blinked a few more times, and his shape came better into view. "Whazz .. whazz wrong?"

The Hiss-shape flicked its tongue thrice in quick succession, a clear indication he was stalling. "Hiss?" Her voice was clearer now.

The door opened again. Ginny turned weakly to see a large mass of white hair. She felt herself pale. Hiss didn't move from her side.

"Professor? Professor Dumbledore?"

-

-

-

_Hey All,_

_It took me two weeks to update this time. School pounced like a tiger in heat. Still, I've gotten through the worst of it. Only one exam left this week, and then it's Reading Week! Yea! So I needed to post this now, and hopefully (though I promise nothing) I will have the next chapter up before I leave on Thursday. We'll see._

_**Comet Moon:** hehe … yes, the mouse got away; the rat can't hide much longer, though. And 'Snapey'? LOL_

_**Witch of Darkness:** hope you liked the update …I know, I know – I'm bad for leaving at cliff-hangers. All part of my inherent evilness. snicker_

**_Weselan:_** _Lol, I know – even more waiting after this one. Tell me what you think though. How'd you like this chapter? Even with the mean cliffie .. _

_**Mindy:** (lol, easier to write than sic-a … yeah … reach for the skies though … v. cool) glad you like the detail. I've actually been told that I write too much detail, which may be true, but I just enjoy it! Sure makes the story slower though. But it feels more real to me .. shrug _

_**Nymph:** I know, I keep getting author alert's that you've updated, but I never have time to check out your new chapters!  _

_**Sleepyhead:** Hey cool – you a new reader? I'm on a favourite list! YAY! pumps fist in air and runs around room … I actually just did that. Honestly. Ask my roommate. She's convinced I'm crazy. Lol_

_**Paige:** I will explain the Tom-calling-Hiss-thing in later chapters. For now everyone is safe though ... well ... from Tom at least, so it won't be coming back up for a bit. And yes, the portkey bit required a bit of power, but also just a lot of focused willpower. Did it make sense? I was worried about that bit._

_Okay, that's everyone who reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter … review me back and tell me allllll about it!_

_Review review review! Feed the button! Bug me until I post again! (it works surprisingly well!)_

_Life love laughter_

_raiin _


	19. 18 Questions and Answers

Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only worship JKR!**_

**Chapter Eighteen: Answers and Questions**

Ginny stared at the white-haired figure, willing her brain to ignore the half-moon glasses, the characteristic robes, and the perched fingers. But as her vision grew clearer, there was no denying such facts.

Dumbledore was here. Right here beside her. He was staring at her through his glasses, and there was no twinkle in his eye.

Ginny felt her throat constrict, her breath came fast but laboured and she could not look away. She was caught in the blue-eyed gaze of the man who had coached her, talked to her, comforted her, and finally betrayed her.

Sudden shouts from the painting of Mrs. Black broke the timeless silence. Ginny winced and looked away, tearing her eyes from Dumbledore's all-seeing gaze. Far below – two stories, three? – Mrs. Black could be heard roaring about werewolves and mudbloods. Lupin must have arrived. Ginny wondered if he was here to personally escort her to Azkaban.

"Ginny," the voice was low but kindly, and had moved in the general direction of the chair by her bed, "look at me."

She didn't want too. She _really_ didn't want to. But Dumbledore's grandfatherly tone had a compelling quality to it. Ginny fought, but there was no strength in her will. It would be better to hear what punishment she faced from Dumbledore himself. She gave up and looked back to him.

"There will be no punishment, Ginny." Dumbledore's voice was still soft and kindly. "Not if you tell me what happened. Tell me everything that happened."

"E-everything?"

Her voice cracked, and Ginny hated herself for it. But Dumbledore always brought out the soft side of her nature. The weak side Tom laughed at.

The white-haired figure nodded. He looked once towards Hiss, who was still perched on the bed by her chest. There was a seriousness in his gaze; something she had only witnessed once in her admittedly short life.

Ginny took a shuddering breath. Everything.

"Wait." An idea came to her, "if I … if I tell you everything, if I answer all your questions, will you do the same for me?" Dumbledore looked back at her, a quality she could not read in his face. Ginny hurried on, the urgency she felt transferring itself to her voice. "If I ask you a question, will you promise to tell me the truth? The _whole_ truth."

Dumbledore lifted one white eyebrow. "The whole truth takes a lot of telling, young Miss Weasley." He paused for a moment, "but if you desire, I will consent to tell you that which pertains to your own situation. Anything beyond that would require the consent of others."

Ginny nodded quickly, then winced. She was still sore. "I can accept that."

The Headmaster leaned back in his chair then, perching his fingertips together and closing his eyes behind his half-moon glasses. Ginny knew from past experience that this was her signal to begin.

And begin she did. It was difficult at first, but once she got going the words would not stop. She told him about the summer after her first year, about the nightmares that would not stop, and how she had met Hiss who had helped her. She described their building friendship, and quickly outlined her growing knowledge of the reptile world. She did not mention the prophecy, but instead explained how Hiss had helped her make sense of several things Tom had 'left behind' in her mind, like parseltongue. Ginny thought she saw a shadow pass itself over the Headmaster's face then, but he said nothing and so she continued.

She told him about returning to school, about Hiss remaining behind. She outlined the two years in which nothing extraordinary happened, except a few incidents with Professor Lupin and the (fake) Professor Moody. These interested him, she could tell, but they were not important for now. And so soon – far too soon – she arrived at the summer before fourth year.

Ginny explained a little of Grimmauld Place, and touched on the special relationship she had developed with Sirius. She did not elaborate on how much it had hurt her when she was ignored in favour of Harry, but Ginny thought Dumbledore understood. She explained how painful it was to leave Hiss behind that year, when they had had so little time together. Ginny briefly mentioned how Sirius had told of her of the Golden Trio's adventures in their third and fourth years, even of the graveyard duel, of which she had nightmares for a week.

Her fourth year passed quickly in her telling as well. There had not been much of interest besides that which Dumbledore was already aware. The DA had been an experience for her – the chance to practice a few of the more mundane spells Tom had left in her head – and Quidditch had been wonderful but frustrating. These were things that, important as they were at the time, hardly seemed of mention now.

Ginny didn't spend much time talking about the Department of Mysteries disaster. Indeed, having been knocked unconscious relatively early in the course of fighting, there was not much to tell. She picked up her narrative only once she had awoken from her brief coma in time to take the Hogwarts Express back to London with the others.

Dropping Harry off had been hard. He had seen so much, done so much, _lost_ so much … to leave him behind with those horrible Dursley's had almost been too much itself. But Hiss had been waiting for her, and they had a lot to do before the return to Headquarters. Those few weeks without Harry passed rather quickly, in fact. Too quickly. There hadn't been enough time to enjoy herself before the realities of life came crashing back upon her.

It began the afternoon Harry returned. Ginny explained the anger she had felt from him, and why she had decided to meet him in the garden. When she arrived at the early morning scene in which Harry had shown up with the letter, Ginny felt her voice crack.

"I – I read it and saw what you thought. I didn't think it was possible. Hiss had seemed … I mean later he told me he would have known if I were being possessed again. He could smell it from me. I've learned to … to _smell_ a little like that too. And I think he's right. He would have known.

But Harry would never have believed him, and at the time _I_ wouldn't have believed him. I know you must be upset with him for going against your orders, but at the time I think it was the best thing to do. We had to know – both of us – what was really going on. So we did the Mind-Travel Spell you taught me in second year. We performed it that night."

Ginny was no longer looking at Professor Dumbledore. She could not bear to see the pitying empathy lurking in those eyes. So instead she focused on a particular section of peeling wallpaper that happened to lie directly across the room from her. The dim light was casting strange shadows onto the walls, and beneath that peeling paper loomed a particularly dark pit. It seemed as if the wall itself failed to exist behind the paper, as if a depthless hole hung there instead. Like a small glimpse into chaos.

"The spell went … alright I guess. We had a few false starts – places I thought were my home, but were not – before we finally arrived where we were supposed to be. We couldn't get in though. It was locked by a gate of snakes. There was a padlock in place. But we looked for signs of 'recent passage' just like you'd said too, and didn't see any. Harry tried to force his way in though, into my mind. And it … it didn't like that so much."

Ginny then explained about being thrust into Harry's memories, memories that she, oddly enough, had shared. As she still wasn't watching the Headmaster, Ginny did not know his reaction to this news, but she heard – or rather thought she heard – a tiny indrawn breath come from the direction of his chair. But she refused the instinct to glance at him.

She went on to say how, once they arose from the trip, the connection between them was visible when they concentrated on it. Ginny did not mention Hermione being pushed accidentally down the stairs, but rather explained that Harry, Hermione and Ron had been introduced to Hiss and to Ginny's parseltongue abilities. She explained how Harry had been watchful of her from then on. She thought he understood that she wasn't dangerous, but knew he wasn't about to take any chance.

Finally she arrived at the morning in question. Hiss had received orders – for lack of a better word – to accompany her, and she had tried to get in contact with him, Dumbledore, but had been unable too. She had decided, upon urging, to try and bring Hiss with her to Grimmauld Place anyways.

Ginny explained the portkey experience as best she was able, and how she and Hiss had to make a run for Headquarters with Tom on their tail. In attempting to explain the barrier that had prevented her from entering, Ginny stopped.

"I think," she began again after a moment of collecting her thoughts, "that it had been programmed not to kill me. And so it was only going to force us back into the street again. But with Tom hurting Hiss, I couldn't allow that. I … I gave it everything I had. I knew you would show up soon, and I hoped that – somehow – you might be able to turn it off. And so I tried to hold us there as long as possible. It wasn't enough though. It finally beat me, and I felt myself go down into the darkness again. I think I was going unconscious. But then something happened … something I don't understand."

There came a sigh from Dumbledore's chair, and this time Ginny was forced to look over at her Headmaster. He looked … exhausted. Old. No, more than old – ancient. He looked ancient and weary and almost as if he were considering giving up. Ginny felt as if a bucket of guilt had been poured on her. Dumbledore had so much he was dealing with at the moment … the last thing he needed was her making problems too.

After a moment, the Headmaster rose from his seat. Ginny felt fear mingle with her guilt, but she did not move from the bed. She still wasn't sure if she _could_, had she even wanted too.

The Headmaster did not actually leave the room, however. He simple opened the door a crack, and spoke to someone waiting in the hall. Ginny glanced towards the door, and saw a flicker of green light reflect itself onto the Headmaster's face. He had inside-out sound-proofed the room then. Ginny signed in relief. From the low tones that replied to the Headmaster's voice, she presumed it was Snape who had been waiting in the hall. She certainly did _not_ want Snape knowing the details of her past few years, if she wanted anyone too.

The Headmaster waited by the door for a moment while the footsteps of her Potions Master sounded away. He was standing with his back to her, and Ginny had the impression that he was doing some deep thinking. With the circle of light only glancing upon the back of his robes, Ginny peered at her Headmaster. Was that dirt clinging to his robes? No, it was lighter than dirt – dust then. Why would Professor Dumbledore be dusty?

Footsteps echoed again along the hallway, forcing Ginny away from her thoughts, and they were distinguishable as two distinct sets the closer they came. Ginny tried to peer around Dumbledore to see who Snape had brought back with him, but she needn't have bothered. After a quick word of thanks to the Potions Master, Dumbledore turned and walked back into the room.

Leaving Harry standing alone in the doorway.

Ginny quickly drew breath, and was aware of Hiss sitting up straighter by her side. Harry's eyes – such a vibrant green in this dim light – flickered once to her friend and then back to Ginny herself. For a moment they stared at each other.

It was Dumbledore who broke the silence this time. "Come in, Harry. Come in." He conjured another chair with a flick from his wand. It appeared much more comfortable than his own. "Have a seat and tell us both what you saw downstairs."

At this Harry and Ginny looked towards Dumbledore, but the Headmaster avoided both gazes as he settled back into his seat. Ginny looked back to see Harry hesitate, then walk stiffly into the room. He sat in the comfortable armchair Dumbledore had conjured, but did not relax into it.

"I arrived in London after Charlie," Harry began, looking to Dumbledore and avoiding Ginny, "I walked up to … to Headquarters and the door opened for me. I waited in the entrance for Ron and Hermione, and when Ron arrived we went into the kitchen. Bill was getting out some sandwiches. I heard the door open and figured Ginny had arrived, but then I heard a … a kind of cut-off scream. I ran back to the entrance room, and Ron and Hermione were behind me. We saw Ginny," he looked towards her briefly, but Ginny hardly noticed. Instead she was thinking, _I screamed?_

"And she was, well, she was being held in midair by something we couldn't see at first. She was shaking, convulsing like under the Cruciatus curse. I – Ron – he wanted to do something, but Bill held him back. He didn't know what was going on. We could see Ginny was holding Hiss. She looked like she was trying to fight whatever held her, but a moment later she completely relaxed."

Harry glanced towards her again and this time Ginny met his eyes. There was something unknown lurking behind them. Then he looked to Dumbledore again and continued on. "Ron thought – well we didn't know what happened. She looked … almost dead. Hermione started crying, and I think Charlie or someone was yelling for you, sir. Then … I don't know what exactly, but I saw something …"

He hesitated, and Ginny felt her breath catch in her throat. Dumbledore seemed to lean forwards in his chair. "Yes Harry? What did you see?"

Harry's eyes dashed between Dumbledore, Ginny, and Hiss. "I saw – I thought I saw – some kind of snake, coiled around her."

Ginny felt her blood go cold, _a snake?_

"It looked," Harry was still speaking, and he sounded more hesitant than ever, "It looked almost like Nagini, Voldemort's pet. It was large like her, though I couldn't see any markings. It was coiled around Ginny like it could have squeezed and killed her at any moment, but it only looked like a shadow. Like a ghost or something. I might have said something, I don't know, but a moment after it appeared it _looked_ at me. Right at me. Then it flicked it tongue once in the air and, and disappeared.

The next moment the shield that held Ginny released her and she fell to the floor. She seemed … incoherent. She tried to get away and was talking in parseltongue. Professor Snape eventually got her to the couch before the fire, and then brought her up here when you arrived and told him too. We waited downstairs until Mr and Mrs Weasley showed up, and Bill tried to explain what happened. He wasn't really able too. I think …" Harry glanced again to Ginny, "… I think they have a lot of questions still. They don't understand what happened."

Ginny let out a short, strangled laugh. "That makes three of us!"

She buried her head in her hands for a moment, and Hiss did what he could to comfort her. _I don't want this, I don't want any of it. Please Tom, just leave me alone …_But he wasn't going to leave her alone. Ever. Hadn't he told her that years ago? _'you are mine now, little Ginny. You gave yourself to me freely, and now I own you forever. You will never be free of me until the day you die so I shall live. Do you look forward to that day, little Ginevra? _

A stupid question: she was still looking forward to it.

It was the silence from Harry and Dumbledore that make her look up again. Both men were watching her, Harry with caution and confusion, Dumbledore with a thoughtful gaze. Ginny looked to both of them, her hand automatically seeking Hiss. She stroked his smooth scales tenderly, taking what comfort she could.

"An interesting idea," Dumbledore spoke suddenly, softly. His ancient voice held a note of interest in it now. Looking over, he pierced Harry with a sharp gaze.

"Do you still have the letter with you, Harry?"

The sudden change of subject caught Ginny of guard. Harry also appeared startled. "The, the letter?" Dumbledore nodded and Harry reached into his back pocket. "I do, actually." He pulled out the carefully folded parchment.

Dumbledore reached out a steady hand, "May I see it please?"

Harry handed it over. Dumbledore unfolded it carefully and read it in silence, his eyes darting back and forth beneath his glasses.

Ginny and Harry watched him carefully, but the Headmaster appeared oblivious to their scrutiny. "Interesting …" he murmured, his voice that same thoughtful tone as before. When he finished he looked up again to Harry, "And you say it was delivered by Fawkes? And was addressed to you personally?"

Harry looked startled again, and Ginny felt a glimmer of hope …

"Yes, both sir. It was, and, and he did. Sir, are you saying …?"

Dumbledore nodded once and returned his scrutiny to the letter. He looked over its folded pages to meet Ginny's eye. "You are correct, Harry. I did not write this letter."

* * *

_Hey Guys,_

_Wow, was this chapter ever hard to write. Dumbledore and I are _still_ arguing over how much to reveal to you and Ginny right now. I think the letter is a wonderful place to start, but beyond that we have a conflict of interest. We're working on it though, wink. _

_I hope the 'story review' wasn't too long. I needed to be specific about what Ginny had told Professor Dumbledore, and what she had not (and of course, I wanted to remind everyone how this story falls into the context of Ginny's life and Harry's school years). I also needed a transition/explanation between the Burrow, all the excitement, and now Grimmauld Place. They will be hanging at Headquarters for a while, but then I promise school will begin soon enough. _

_So this chapter definitely look longer to post than it had been planned too, and I can guarantee that the next will take forever to post as well. March – as every University student knows – is a deadly month. And then I've got my two (yay!) med school interviews in April and then exams. So collective groan, I know. That said, the next chapter has no post date planned. I will get it out asap, but it might be a while._

_ducks the thrown rotten tomatoes See Dave, you picked a horrid time to get involved in my writing …_

_I'd like to go through and post direct replies to people, but I want to get this posted and I actually - gasp! - am going out tonight. Girls night out, I know .. the world is dying of shock. Me, actually being social. Sigh._

_So, I shall post this without further ado. Review review review! I need your comments, and I ESPECIALLY need to hear if I've made your favourites/author alert list! So extra-juicy hugs to those who already shared this leprechaun-dancing news. _

_But above all, if you like the story or hate it, please _

_  
FEED THE BUTTON! _


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